IoT Monitoring
Gain complete awareness of radio-frequency interconnected technologies.
The Emerging Landscape
According to Heslop (2019) of Martech Advisor, there will be around 125 billion IoT devices in use by 2030.
IoT is everywhere. Portable, wearable, and implantable IoT are prevalent, creating a ubiquitous and connected universe. The physical objects surrounding us – cars, lights, central heating, doors, and wearables – are rapidly transforming into an ecosystem of information, influencing the way we live. With minimal human intervention, data is captured and transacted between digital technologies via radio frequency, internet, and other network protocols. Communication and cooperation extend from between people to systems and objects, employing what we now see as cyber-physical interactions.
IoT is everywhere
In 2017 an unsecured WiFi-connected fish tank was exploited by hackers who stole over 10 gigabytes of sensitive data from a London casino after using it to access to their private network.
Overt AI can see attacks incoming, allowing organisations to respond with the appropriate security measures instantly.
IoT Application Examples
Human and environmental condition monitoring
IoT monitoring is ideal for allowing medical professionals to monitor patient’s health that may be of concern remotely, such as those used by pacemakers. In high-risk fields, companies may use IoT devices to monitor the health and safety of their staff. On the individual level, we see IoT’s being used to monitor one’s health and the behaviours that directly impact it, such as sleep quantity and quality.
Logistics and operation optimisation
Real-time monitoring allows for accurate oversight and coordination of organisational assets and actors. For example, a delivery company can monitor and direct its fleet in real-time, which, when coupled with GPS information, can notify, and direct its vehicles around live conditions and potential hazards in the environment such as roadworks, accidents, and natural disasters.
Infrastructure
Instant updates and alerts made to governments and the public for anything from minor disruptions to water, internet, and roads to major problems with power stations, water treatment facilities, and government-owned assets.
Tracking
IoT implementations allow the owners to maintain awareness of an item’s location, decreasing the chances of an asset being successfully stolen or misplaced. Technology such as LoRa can facilitate precise tracking of assets within a less than 2.5m radius, monitoring speed and even altitude over ultra-long distances.
Manufacturing
New levels of efficiency are possible with remote monitoring and detailed analysis of machinery. Performance issues can be identified before humans could recognise them. Manufacturers can avoid costs by providing maintenance where needed before equipment failure.
How is IoT Possible?
Cost and power-efficient sensor technology
Affordable and energy-efficient technology is in growing demand due to its high appeal to manufacturers and users alike.
Centralised data storage and virtual access
The growth of ‘Cloud’ based systems allows businesses and consumers access to infrastructures that would be highly resource-consuming to create, maintain and scale.
Artificial intelligence
Organisations and individuals can gather increasingly detailed and accurate analytics and insights much faster without expending human resources. Furthermore, ongoing rapid advancements in natural language processing (NLP) makes digital assistants such as Siri, Alexa and others appealing, making IoT more accessible and desired for personal use.
Connectivity
Easy network access and cloud systems allow these technologies to interconnect seamlessly, providing convenience and utility.
Industry 4.0 and Intersection with Operational Technology
The manufacturing, infrastructural and industrial contexts are incorporating IoT technology and undergoing significant digital transformations. Factories and machinery are becoming ‘smart’ through integration with sensors and cloud servers. Information regarding the operational and mechanical diagnostics are collected and fed to artificial intelligence to drive accurate, predictive analysis, operational oversight and more.
Oracle’s (2020) global study on emerging technologies found that AI, digital assistants, blockchain, IoT and others were past the cusp of rolling adoption through exceeding expectations and creating massive advantages for the organisations using them. For example, 88% of those surveyed in the study found that using IoT data in their financial systems achieved or exceeded ROI expectations. Those who applied the data to their supply chains and operations saw dramatic decreases in the time it took to fulfil orders and shipments.
This technology is widely applicable and has the potential to see rapid adoption across healthcare, oil, logistics, and retail. It improves performance through data-driven insights that outline new opportunities and increased automation and efficiency through machine to machine (M2M) communication. Beyond factories, we can expect to see “smart cities”, hospitals, infrastructure, supply chains and more.
The Problems
The rise of such potentially vast networks that rely on RF (radio frequency) brings many challenges and opportunities alike. Without comprehensive oversight and efficient management, the networks are complex and congested environments with limited control. As a result, they are prone to operational error and exploitation from parties with nefarious intent.
To succeed and gain a competitive advantage in this environment, there needs to be a cost-effective data analysis method that provides thorough oversight of the RF environment in which these IoT devices operate. Real-time analysis and alerts can inform decisions regarding operation and security.
Our Solution
Using ground-breaking deep-learning signal analysis techniques we identify wireless IoT systems and create a measurable landscape of these devices. Overt AI provides users with extensive oversight and control of the RF spectrum. Its primary goal is to establish the baseline of known ‘good behaviour’. From there, machine learning techniques identify anomalies, rogue devices, or potential security threats and alerts the user of their presence and location using precise direction finding and geolocation capabilities in three dimensions.
Overt AI offers wide-band, high-fidelity spectrum coverage and allows you to instantly respond to prevent security breaches and operational issues with your IoT devices and their partnered technologies. It can be seen as an incredibly accurate spectrum recorder, capable of clearly identifying even the weakest and briefest signals next to other, more robust transmitters. This function can be run continuously outside of operating hours to ensure complete coverage from any breach attempts 24/7/365.
To find out more about IoT Monitoring, and to view a demonstration, please get in touch.