ARTICLE

NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES AND MICROCONTROLLERS IN

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) - A REVIEW

By
VANI DASU * SWAPNA RAGHUNATH **
*-** Department of Electronics and Communication, G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science, Hyderabad, India.

Date Received: 10/04/2021 Date Revised: 01/06/2021 Date Accepted: 15/10/2021

ABSTRACT
Our physical world is transforming at an unprecedented rate into a complex and dynamic system of connected devices.
Such dynamics are evident due to COVID-19 making the organisations rethink the way they work and operate. Working
digitally and virtually across locations along with partner organisations is the need of the hour. Internet of Things makes such
communication possible. The increasing importance of capturing real-time data and acting upon the insights is the driving
focus of Internet of Things (IoT) – both in terms of its wider applicability and the path towards achieving scale. Defined as the
interaction between the digital and physical worlds, IoT helps the digital world interact with the physical world using a
plethora of sensors and actuators. The sensors take data from various devices, convert it into viable actions for human
analysis. This paper brings forth Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, ANT, 6LoRaWAN, NFC, GSM technology, and Cloud
software technologies used by various IoT devices. They aid sensors which collect data from multiple devices. Comparison
of these technologies is made on basis of frequency band, range, data rate and modulation type. This paper also discusses
microcontrollers namely Arduino Uno, Adafruit Feather Huzzah32, SparkFun ESP8266 Thing, and Raspberry Pi which
analyse, and process data based on various settings to perform tasks or provide the data required by industry. Wi-Fi
technology embedded on Arduino controller is recommended, the deciding factors being security, availability, reliability,
mobility, performance, scalability, interoperability, management and trust.
Keywords: IoT, Sensors, Actuators, Microcontrollers, Comparison, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Wi-Fi.

INTRODUCTION solutions more affordable and relevant compared to the

The Internet has become a part of life with a rapid increase
in the number of internet users. IoT grants people and things
to be connected anytime, anyplace, with anyone, ideally
using some network and service (Stanford, n.d.). It allows to
connect organizations and people, with the world around
them and do more meaningful, higher-level work (Internet
of Things for Telecom Engineers, n.d.). Improvements in the
availability of low power technology, last-mile connectivity,
long-lasting batteries, and cheaper sensors make IoT
situations in the past (Garg & Gupta, 2020).
Internet of things (IoT) is achieved by interconnecting the
internet with computing devices embedded into everyday
objects, enabling them to send and receive data. Such
communication between multiple devices occur with little
human intervention.
1. Sensors and Actuators
IoT architecture from a broad perspective has four layers.
Figure 1 describes the high-level architecture of IoT having
4 layers. The sensors and actuators constitute the first layer
which gathers information to be transmitted over secure
channels (Data Flair, n.d.). Sensors collect information
about location, changes in the air, environment, etc. The
network layer is the second layer. It carries and transmits

i-manager’s Journal on Communication Engineering and Systems, Vol. 10 l

No. 1 l
January - June 2021 1