5 Design Considerations for Wireless Communication Gateways

Are you planning to create a wireless communication gateway to integrate various devices in an internet-of-things (IoT)? Below are issues that have to be considered when the gateway is being designed.

Node Connectivity

A wireless gateway allows the nodes linking the end-devices, such as your front door and the air conditioning system, to the central server. The ease with which those nodes can access the wireless communication gateway should be considered during gateway design. For example, select a design which will give a data-transfer speed that is sufficient for the information transmitted by the different nodes on the network.

Backend Connectivity

Wireless communication gateways require some form of connectivity to access the internet during the process of facilitating communication between different nodes on a network. The designer of the gateway can compare various connectivity options, such as 3G and LTE cellular technologies. Satellite links can be considered in case the network is being designed for a remote location.

Communication Protocols

The different devices on your network will communicate with each other and with the management server using a language, referred to as a "protocol". The designer of the gateway is therefore tasked with considering your needs before selecting the protocol through which communication between devices will be done. The common protocols from which he or she can choose include web sockets, plain HTTP, CoAP and MQTT. Each of these protocols has limitations and benefits which are weighed before the protocol is selected for an application.

Serviceability

You should also assess the ease of servicing the wireless communication gateway to fix bugs or beef up the security of the system. Many gateways can be serviced remotely. However, it is often necessary to have another way to perform these maintenance tasks without relying on remote servicing. The gateway designer creates connectivity options that will be most suitable for remote and onsite maintenance work.

Security

The internet-of-things makes it possible to link more devices on a single network. That connectedness creates security vulnerabilities, such as hacking risks, which designers of wireless communication gateways should identify and address. Security, therefore, becomes a key consideration during each stage of the process of designing the gateway.

As such, designing wireless communication gateways requires the combination of several technical components into a working system. Identify the best gateway designer and give that person ample time to work out all those technical details. In this way, you will have a gateway that will serve your current and future needs without any major problems.