IoTech explore the basics and break this down using a jargon buster, after all, aren’t we all a little taken aback with people who use this terminology and pretend to know what it is?

Ultra-Reliable: Well, simply put ‘Ultra’ is an adjective used to describe something extreme, whereas ‘reliable’ is just another word for trustworthy so for the sake of this article you can refer to it as ‘extremely trustworthy’ if you like.

Low-Latency: The key word here is ‘Latency’ which essentially describes the delay between data being received and passed on, until it’s viewed again by the next person or device. For example; when a video is captured firstly on camera and that image is then displayed on a viewer’s device, which, during a ‘Live TV show’, can be on average between 6 and 30 seconds. Passing chunks of data from one place to another takes time, so latency builds up at every step.

With that in mind, Low-Latency describes a glass-to-glass delay of five seconds or less. There is also Ultra-Low-Latency of under a second, think of real time streaming from a video conference call but let’s leave that there for now, you get the picture!

Communication: The exchanging of information

Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication = Extremely trustworthy fast (or real-time) communication.

If you wish to experience latency in action, try listening to a live broadcast of your favourite radio station on your home or car stereo and stream the same radio station live from your smart phone, it’s extremely unlikely they will pair so the lag you’re experiencing is the ‘Latency’. Another example might be your neighbours watching the same football game as you and celebrating the winning goal 30 seconds before you do because you were watching through terrestrial TV and they were streaming through fast broadband.

 “So why do we need Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication?”, we hear you say. IoTech will try to answer that question. In the world of smart connected devices and in the ever increasing need for lightning speed information we’ve become accustomed to knowing things here and now. The Internet of Things is now moving into the 5G arena and with it comes Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication or URLLC for short.

 URLLC provides ultra-high network reliability of more than 99.99% and very low latency (of 1 millisecond) for packet transmission. These two features make URLLC a primary usage scenario for 5G as it ensures data transmission within a few milliseconds, with extremely high reliability.

IoTech believes that Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency communication is revolutionary in todays and tomorrows’ digital world. With 5G URLLC, we can have enhanced entertainment experience, increased machine productivity in factories, improve electricity distribution, driverless – autonomous vehicles, the list goes on and on!

Do you require faster communications? Want to take to advantage of URLLC? Contact us for a free chat about your challenges info@the-iot.co.uk

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Let’s firstly define evolution vs revolution. Evolution refers to gradual changes over a period of time, this rings true considering the ‘The Internet of Things’ (IoT) was first coined in 1999 but really took flight around 2008 when there were more connected devices than people living on the earth. Arguably this is when the revolution of The Internet of Things started as revolution refers to a sudden or radical change. There has been a huge surge in smart connected devices that is changing the face of our technological landscape leading to massive data exchanges between internet or cloud related products. Whether this be wearables, self-driving cars, sensors, smart homes or industry 4.0 (Smart Factories) we’re all now using or in the midst of smart connected devices.

IoT devices collect data and exchange this information over web enabled networks to essentially enhance a users experience.

Some examples of IoT in the home all of which can be controlled via a phone, tablet, PC or other smart device

• Smart Heating or Thermostats
• Smart CCTV
• Smart Lights
• Home Hubs
• Coffee Maker
• Refrigerator

Examples of IoT in the workplace

• Lights, automated turning off and on lights with motion detection using sensors
• Smart Access control systems, allowing access to different areas of the company, remote locking, eye/fingerprint identification
• Smart Trackers for work related vehicles
• Automated teleconferencing and virtual meetings
• Smart watch helping control meetings, alerting you to emails, prompting you to call a customer

Examples of IoT in industry – Sometimes referred to as Industrial Internet of Things IIOT.

Using the overall essence of the Internet of Things, the Industrial IoT (IIOT) covers a multitude of areas, industries and applications. Some may also know this as Industry 4.0 which is mainly focused on the optimisation of operational efficiency and rationalisation, automation & maintenance allowing for smart manufacturing, intelligent automation, asset management, industrial control which are all essentially improving operational efficiency.

• Smart Transportation i.e. freight monitoring, vehicle tracking, security & sensors
• Smart Meters Energy & Utilities – Oil & Gas, Smart grids, data analytics
• Smart Sensors, liquid level sensors, oil level sensors, motion sensors
• Smart Agriculture
• Smart GPS devices
• Smart Healthcare monitoring
• Smart automated manufacturing machinery
• Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS)
• Smart factory applications and smart warehousing
• Predictive and remote maintenance
• Freight, goods and transportation monitoring
• Connected logistics
• Smart environment solutions
• Smart City applications
• Smart farming and livestock monitoring
• Industrial security systems
• Energy consumption optimisation
• Industrial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
• Manufacturing equipment monitoring
• Asset tracking and smart logistics
• Ozone, gas and temperature monitoring in industrial environments
• Safety and health (conditions) monitoring of workers
• Asset performance management
• Remote service, field service, remote maintenance and control use cases

This list goes on, hopefully this will give you a taster of what it’s all about.

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