Is Blended Connectivity The Future of IoT?
Written by: Jason Segarra
Published: September 9, 2021
While the IoT world is constantly evolving, connectivity will always be essential. Fortunately, there are many options when it’s time to connect your devices to the internet. For many developers, however, their connectivity selection can end up limiting their options from a technical standpoint.
That’s because many IoT devices can only operate on a single connection protocol, and even though additional modules can be built into their hardware, most IoT platforms don’t support multiple connections simultaneously.
The solution, as posed by Soracom co-founder and CTO Kenta Yasukawa, is blended connectivity. This concept allows devices to jump between differing connection types as needed in order to ensure stable and consistent uptime.
Blended Connectivity Applications
In this blog for ToolBox, Yasukawa outlines several ways in which blended connectivity could be a boon for emerging and established developers. These include:
- Enabling projects in the development stage to function on in-house WiFi in the lab, while allowing them to utilize cellular connectivity once they are deployed.
- Airplanes and ships that rely on satellite connectivity in the field can then switch to lower cost solutions like LPWAN while in port.
- Sensors for things like precision irrigation can be deployed across geographies that span different coverage zones, and could thus utilize multiple connectivities without needing to create unique architecture for different portions of the same fleet.
- Smart energy devices can actually utilize differing connectivities based on the complexity of the process they’re undertaking in order to maximize efficiency.
Yasukawa also speaks to the security benefits that blended networks offer, and how they can help products scale securely. Check out the blog for the full story.
Solutions by Soracom
Soracom offers blended connectivity solutions via its Arc service, which allows compatible devices to access the Soracom platform over virtually any internet connection. Create secure end-to-end connections while utilizing all of your favorite Soracom services and features on a network that can operate on any internet-connected network interface – from WiFi to satellite.
Want to learn more? Contact us today!
