In the past decade, certainly pre 2020 covid pandemic, the large-scale impact of Internet of Things (IoT) has been felt in all sectors of our economy and with this we have seen the benefits and opportunities it has brought in our homes, the health sector, security such as military and defense, and agriculture to keep our bread baskets full.
Global data from the latest research indicate that the IoT market is not only the fastest growing sector but in revenue figures it is commanding a big figure nearing almost a 1.3 Trillion as a forecast by end of 2025.
This demand of IoT is very good news to the electrical and electronics industry. All IoT smart devices use electronic parts and as a result these individual electronic components manufacturers are having to push and increase their capacity to meet demand for electronic parts. What parts and components are we talking about? IoT devices work in such a way that they must connect with each other online and this often-using components like Wi-Fi modules, RF kits, process data using semiconductors and microprocessors and collect and transmit signals data in real-time.
What is IoT?
IoT used to be futuristic, now anymore, it is the present. In a nutshell, IoT which stands for Internet of Things refers to the interconnection of physical devices though the internet, that collect and share data. They are mainly defined using acronyms like smart devices mainly in a household setup that improve your comfort and as result ads quality to your lifestyle etc. Household IoT devices are usually controlled using smart phone apps for example, by using the wi-fi you can control certain elements of your home like lighting, adjusting the boiler thermostats, security cameras using sensors.
What are the reliable electronic parts?
Reliable electronic parts can also be referred to as electronic components which is defined as any basic discrete device in a circuit or electronic system that will then effectively affect flow of electrons and often have terminals to connect to. They are split into 2 categories: active (possess gain) and passive (cannot amplify only attenuate).
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Which common electronic parts make IoT smart devices?
Below we will list several electronic parts that end up creating the smart devices we use in our day-to-day life.
Connectors – are components that offer connection solutions and can be simple as a transistors or complex which carry another definition of global interconnectors.
Magnets – are one of the mostly used parts in electronics for good reason. The have the capability of holding and storing data and devices that are known to have magnets are inductors, transformers, amplifiers, motors, solenoid, microphones, and speakers.
Antennas – This part is used mainly as a receiver and for signalling out and every IoT device needs one of this otherwise they will not be able to communicate with outside gadgets like the smart phone.
Capacitors – Their main job is to store energy and release it when required to a load. The come in very types mainly as fixed, variable, integrated, network arrays and for special applications like safety and reservoir. Their uses are vast, and this can be a topic to discuss on its own.
Inductors – play a very crucial role in prevent damage as it cleans power supplies by balancing current from sudden change which eliminates power spikes and noise in our devices. They are characterised by coils and that is also their alternative name and this help store energy in magnetic fields when a current is passed through it. Other names include choke or reactors.
Switches – Switches are used to operate devices. In electrical terms, switches can be used to define parts that can pass electric current or break it. Different switch examples include ones made of keypad, dip, footswitch, knife, micro, mercury that is sense a tilt, relay that are electro-mechanical, thermostat, humidistat, circuit breakers like a reset fuse, and transfer switch that toggles a load between two sources.
What is the Future of IoT parts manufacturing?
Although we have seen huge strides and support from electronic parts suppliers to support the growth of IoT sector, there is some uncertainty about how ready they are to meet the demand especially when demand is surpassing supply. On top of that, lockdown of countries is making the whole process unachievable.
From my experience practicing in the UK, we often find that devices are not compatible and therefore, one thing that manufacturers need to work towards is a standardised certification to ensure you can link parts as you wish rather than being stuck to one brand that often result to being costly and expensive to maintain.
In the past few months, we have seen the discovery of a lot of fake electronic parts which has even affected the military. We cannot tell how safe our products are because sometimes the fake looks exactly like the genuine parts and we would only hope that parts are fully certified by OEMs before they start creating their smart devices and do rigorous testing to ensure the electronic parts are safe for use in the IoT industry.
Conclusion
There is a lot of business opportunity in the IoT sector and if the demand can be fulfilled by supply, we should be seeing a very optimistic future. Electronic distributors are going to be the greatest beneficiaries.
Article written by electronicscomponents.co.uk
Editor: Alessandro Volta