The Internet of Things makes the physical world measurable. A pump's flow rate, a meter reading, soil moisture in a field or the number plate at a car park barrier can all reach a central system without anyone having to go and look. It is a fast-growing layer of infrastructure: IoT Analytics' State of IoT 2025 expects connected IoT devices to reach 21.1 billion in 2025 and 39 billion by 2030. The business uses are becoming clearer, too. Eurostat's Use of Internet of Things in enterprises shows that in 2021, 30% of EU enterprises using IoT relied on it to manage energy consumption.
This hub collects our IoT and hardware articles into a reading path from first steps to decision. If you are thinking of building your own device, start with the IoT device development process, which walks through seven stages from idea to volume production. Then move on to two fundamental design choices: LoRa, NB-IoT or cellular for connectivity, and IP ratings explained for how well the device will stand up to dust and water in the field. If you plan to run your own network, choosing a LoRaWAN gateway covers the steps from coverage survey to network server.
Going deeper, real applications take over: choosing a remote monitoring platform, automatic meter reading for utilities and municipalities, and one of the most valuable uses of that data, water loss analysis. On the video side, read about central management of ONVIF IP cameras, licence plate recognition and parking management systems. For agricultural projects, our guide to soil moisture sensors for precision agriculture covers sensor choice and placement.
For delivery, see our pages on device manufacturing and IoT, OSOS meter reading, remote monitoring and licence plate recognition. One team handles electronics and PCB design, mechanical enclosures, embedded software and the web and mobile panels, and the technical feasibility study for hardware projects is free. Before you start, note where the device will be installed, where its power will come from and how often it needs to send data.
Reading list by application
- Communication protocols: the MQTT protocol widely used to carry field data to the cloud, Modbus RTU and TCP as the common language of PLCs and meters, and BACnet building automation for HVAC and heating plant in buildings.
- Self-service and information: self-service kiosks, self-checkout kiosks, digital signage and, for store chains, retail digital signage management.
- Warehouse, stock and assets: RFID inventory and asset tracking and handheld terminal stock counting; for choosing tags by surface and environment, see RFID tag types.
- Water, energy and utilities: remote pump station monitoring, water tank level monitoring to prevent overflow and dry running and, for industrial users, the automatic meter reading obligation in Turkey.
- Logistics and agriculture: reefer truck temperature monitoring and the livestock monitoring system, plus smart greenhouse automation for protected cultivation and irrigation automation and remote monitoring for valves and pumps in open fields.
- Industry and facilities: retrofitting legacy machines, cold chain monitoring and HACCP and factory energy monitoring.
- Healthcare facilities: hospital medical equipment tracking and hospital building energy management, plus pharmaceutical warehouse temperature mapping for hospital pharmacies and medicine stores.
- Making sense of the data: anomaly detection in sensor data and drone NDVI analysis.