4 challenges in IoT hardware designing

IoT development is complex and bound to uncertain challenges throughout the development lifecycle. Further breaking down the development into different components, issues in hardware design are the most critical because they can’t be rolled back.

And that’s why overcoming design challenges in an IoT landscape should be talked about more often. In the following article, we walk you through 4 major challenges in IoT hardware designing,  says Yash Mehta, an IoT and big data science specialist.

Finding hardware designers 

In the US, there are more than 50,000 qualified hardware design engineers. If there’s no shortage of the skills then why do so many organisations struggle with finding the right talent?

Most organisations are unable to build a proficient team because they didn’t use the right channels. Unlike software professionals that are almost available everywhere, hardware designing requires finesse. For IoT, the degree of expertise is higher and organisations must work on their team carefully. 

Apart from social networking, public marketplaces are a valuable option to connect with professionals. Marketplaces such as Upwork, Ioterra and Clutch are dedicated to IoT professionals and provide a comprehensive listing of resources across disciplines including hardware designing.

These platforms host qualified professionals who can directly connect with companies looking for similar project requirements. These hardware development marketplaces provide multiple levels of search help filters that narrow down your search quickly. Furthermore, businesses can filter hardware designers for specific product requirements. 

If you are new in this line of business, we recommend building a hybrid team first. The hybrid team is a mixture of full-time in-house resources and certain roles outsourced to product development companies for faster development.

Likewise, there are events and conferences wherein you can connect with fellow companies. Don’t compromise with finding the right designers. After all, the fate of challenges that follow depends upon who is working on them. 

PCB design challenges

A Print Circuit Board (PCB) is the brain of an IoT network. It consists of numerous sensors, wired and wireless components installed close to each other. Let’s visualise a typical PCB design. A regular circuit positioned in one corner generates power to the entire board. There are multiple beam microphones to implement an audio response system. There are motor control circuits, sensors and a mesh of random circuitry as per diverse application requirements. 

This was just a high-level view of a typical, small-sized PCB. It could expand into a bigger work area for greater application requirements. 

Here, the design can go wrong because it is vulnerable to cause interference from traces. Furthermore, it can cause a lot of noise when interfering with analogue components.  

Even a small fault could end up disrupting the device functionality while leaving you in confusion as to what and where exactly in the network the process went wrong. From doors to industrial equipment, PCBs play a crucial role and that’s why organisations shouldn’t ignore expert help.

Optimal use of prototypes 

Yash Mehta

Prototyping is an essential phase in the IoT hardware development lifecycle. It lets you evaluate the compliance of the system functionality wrt different scenarios and conditions. Since it is difficult to roll-back developments in the IoT landscape, it is important to test the prototypes in detail. Most developers don’t use the prototypes to the extent they should and end up missing important details that convert into an issue in the main product. While you can’t keep on changing the devices and their design, it is important to devote more time before approving a prototype. 

Therefore, before going on production floors, you should include prototyping in the iterative model such as Agile. Get end-users to work on it, analyse their feedback, make changes and eliminate inconsistencies as far as you can. The more you reject at this stage, the less you suffer in production. 

Design for uncertain power requirement

An IoT system is made up of several individual hardware components wherein every component could have multiple transistors. The collective power dissipation of all the transistors adds up to a significant amount that is bound to increase with time. If we imagine multiple small IoT networks for a single household, imagine the increase in collective power dissipation of all the devices. At the top of it, there’s uninterrupted data exchange and other analytical operations that would further increase the numbers. Not to miss, power requirements to keep radio connectivity infrastructure including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular etc. come with significant requirements. 

Hardware designers have to consider this uncertain increase in power dissipation. They should create solutions to efficiently bring down the power requirement without affecting the utility of the network. After all, the IoT is meant to abbreviate routine costs and not the other way round. 

One size doesn’t fit all 

The Internet of Things will cater to users regardless of their technology, cultural background. Just like the internet doesn’t confine to a particular ‘type’ of users, IoT will have a similar impact. From automated thermostats to turbines, IoT is driving us to a world fully governed by code and devices. Therefore, it is imperative that we add a predictive understanding of potent challenges and faults into our plans. 

The author is Yash Mehta, an IoT and big data science specialist.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more