5 Stages of An IoT Deployment

Deploying an Internet of Things project is process, and success depends on following the steps.Around the world businesses of many sizes are hitting roadblocks because their IoT deployment is delayed, stalled, refused to work as designed, failed to pass regulatory requirements or didn’t deliver the expected results–sometimes all the above.

An IoT deployment is a process. Unless a business undertakes and completes each part of the process, the deployment will be rich with problems as well as data.

It begins with planning that has little to do with the technology of the IoT and everything to do with what the business is trying to achieve. Unless the management team are united and have a clear understanding of what it intends to deliver the whole project is doomed to get off to a slow start and an unsatisfactory finish.

Even people within a business charged with implementing a project are unlikely to understand just how complex an IoT deployment can be to implement. It’s not because they lack the technical or business ability. They will most likely lack the experience of having lived through a deployment and seen the pitfalls created when a complete business vision is missing.

After setting business goals, designing a compliant network that will deliver them is the second stage. A thorough network design and specification needs to cover the schematic of the network, the choice of components, their locations and measurement of the performance of integrated antennae to identify any RF issues.

As soon as you add wireless technology to any project you add to its complexity. You not only need to create the right system architecture and manage the power consumption and battery life, you also need cope with the challenges of RF performance and signal strength.

Cellular-based IoT deployments also require a certification stage – both for the network and devices on it. The certification of devices is often more complex than project managers imagine. Ensuring devices are approved is vital to get the regulatory and carrier sign-offs that mean your deployment can go live.

In the US, the PTCRB is the CTIA-backed body that manages device approvals with the support of a network of approved testing facilities. Delivering proper sample sizes, with the right configuration documents to a test facility ensures approval in a timely fashion. It’s amazing how many people send a unit to the test lab without a charging cable or any instructions.

No deployment can go live without a thorough period of testing. Testing should not just be about the technology. It is important also to check against the original business goals.

When this process is complete you get to the fifth and final stage where an IoT deployment begins a digital transformation, improves operational efficiency, cuts costs, drives revenues and unlocks profitability. – EE Times