In all things IoT, speed is crucial, which has necessitated edge computing. Internet of things describes the network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies with the aim of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet or a network.
These devices could be something as simple as your smart watch or smartphone to more complex industrial tools.
Why Edge Computing Is Important
Before I go into why IoT edge computing is all the rage, here are some basics of the field.
Edge computing takes place at the edge: at or near the physical location of either the user or the source of the data.
Edge computing involves processing data near its source instead of sending it long distances to be processed by a remote server. Edge computing is the difference between data traveling yards instead of miles saving precious time, which is money.
Case Study
Imagine a factory that uses multiple machines on its assembly line with their inputs being processed by a remote, cloud-based server. This could have significant safety issues.
With remote servers, the time taken for an input to be received by the device, get sent to the server for processing and then sent back from the server could be too much. If the command was instructing the machine to stop operating, the latency could be the cause of a worker losing a limb or a serious injury.
IoT is the most powerful way to rapidly analyze data in real-time. By placing computing services closer to the edge, users benefit from faster, more reliable services with better user experiences.
Companies on the other hand benefit by being able to support time-sensitive applications and offer better products and services.
The Purpose of Iot Edge
The purpose is no different than that of edge computing: bring resources and data storage closer to the source with the aim of improving response time, latency and other parameters. IoT devices cover data communications that could interrupt user experience if mishandled.
Edge devices are computing systems deployed near the location of the user or device using them. The geographic proximity minimizes latency between user and edge device which provides faster services.
Edge devices are intended to provide additional computing power for resource constrained IoT devices. IoT devices can collect and transmit the data to these edge devices which will process the data in lieu of the IoT devices themselves and rapidly receive feedback.
Edge Devices vs IoT Devices
The difference between the two majorly lies in the capabilities of the IoT device.
IoT devices are physical systems that facilitate data communications for processing of that data. Edge devices on the other hand are the devices that carry out said processing.
IoT devices are more often than not resource constrained, which means they lack the computational resources required to process data themselves and that is why they need an edge device for processing.
If the edge device in question is close enough to the IoT device and has enough computational power, it may be able to process data and make decisions quickly enough to be considered part of the IoT edge.
There are cases where an IoT device is capable of performing all the functions above and, in particular, processing itself which renders the need for an edge device moot. In cases like this, the terms IoT device and edge device can be used interchangeably.
IoT devices need to quickly process and make decisions based on the data they collect. If these devices lack the processing power for that, there is a need for low-latency, reliable data processing, which edge devices provide.
