Nilay D.
Table of Content
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become rather popular in the past decade, boosting everyday productivity and improving business efficiency. Described as the network of physical objects embedded with software, sensors, and other technologies, IoT enables connecting and exchanging data with other systems and devices over the internet.
IoT products range from ordinary household items to sophisticated industrial applications. Statista reports there will be 29.42 billion IoT devices by 2030. At the same time, it is essential to note that IoT application development is a costly undertaking.
By the end of 2023, companies would have spent $1100 billion on building IoT products and systems. Fret not - one of the ways this colossal number can be reduced is through the use of open-source IoT resources and tools. Let us explore that in detail:
The need for open-source IoT technologies
Any open-source IoT framework enables application scalability and higher performance. Most options can be downloaded and used for free. Here are the five benefits of open-source IoT technologies:
1. Community
Such IoT software development tools benefit from contributions from a large and diverse community of developers worldwide. That means they are constantly evolving and delivering far superior experiences.
2. Deployment
They make creating prototypes and test solutions easier in a real-world environment, empowering developers to identify and fix any issues before deployment. They also facilitate experimenting with different development approaches, resulting in optimal solutions.
3. Transparency
One of the critical benefits of open-source IoT technologies is the transparency they provide. The ability to see and understand the underlying code enables developers to make informed decisions, share insights and collaborate effectively.
4. Collaboration
Another significant benefit of the same is collaboration. They equip developers and businesses to work together to build, test, and deploy IoT solutions, thereby increasing the speed and efficiency of the development process.
5. Interoperability
Open-source IoT technologies enable developers to create solutions that meet specific business needs besides offering an easy adoption path with interoperability and reducing the cost of entering the market.
Top 10 open-source IoT tools and resources
Businesses dealing with smart technology often want to find the best IoT development tools that offer robust analytics and seamless interoperability between connected devices. To help you determine which platform is the best fit for your requirements, here is an overview of the top 10 most widely used open-source IoT frameworks:
1. Eclipse IoT
Eclipse IoT is an open-source community that offers IoT development tools and frameworks for building IoT solutions. It is a collection of projects focused on different aspects of IoT, such as device management, data processing, and network connectivity.
Some key projects under the Eclipse IoT umbrella include Eclipse Kura, a Java/OSGi-based framework for building IoT gateways; Eclipse Paho, client libraries for connecting to IoT messaging protocols; and Eclipse SmartHome, a Java/OSGi-based framework for building home automation systems.
2. Node-RED
Node-RED is an open-source visual programming tool for powering IoT-connected devices. It facilitates users to wire together hardware devices, APIs, and online services using a browser-based flow editor, which can be used to create simple automation and complex applications.
Node-RED offers pre-built “nodes” that can be used to read from and write to various devices and services, and it also allows users to create their custom nodes. It is built on Node.js, making it easy to install and run on various platforms.
Home Assistant is a home automation solution written in Python. The open-source tool empowers users to control and automate devices in their homes, such as lights, thermostats, and security systems and can be integrated with expansive devices and services.
It supports a wide range of devices and protocols, including Z-Wave, Zigbee, and other standard home automation protocols, along with cloud-based services like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Did you know Home Assistant also has an extensive library of pre-built integrations with popular devices and services and equips users to write their integrations using Python?
It is designed to be highly customizable and can be tailored to fit the specific needs of different users and environments. Not only that - Home Assistant has a solid and active community of users and developers who contribute to the platform with new features, updates, and integrations.
4. OpenHAB
Open Home Automation Bus (OpenHAB) is an open-source home automation software designed to be vendor- and technology-agnostic. This means it can be used with various devices and technologies, enabling integration with different vendors and protocols.
OpenHAB provides IoT development tools and services for automating and controlling home devices and appliances, such as lights, thermostats, and security systems.
One of the critical features of OpenHAB is its support for a comprehensive range of devices and technologies, such as Z-Wave, Zigbee, and other standard home automation protocols.
OpenHAB is designed to be highly customizable and can be adapted to fit the specific needs of different users and environments.
Additionally, the community of OpenHAB is active and regularly updates and adds new features to the software, making it a popular choice for home automation enthusiasts.
5. Kaa IoT
Kaa IoT is an open-source, enterprise-grade platform for building and managing IoT solutions. It offers services for connecting, managing, and analyzing data from IoT devices and sensors.
The IoT software development tool is designed to be highly scalable and can handle a large number of connected devices, making it suitable for industrial and enterprise-level applications.
It caters to many IoT protocols and standards, such as MQTT, CoAP, and LWM2M, and can be integrated with various cloud and data storage solutions.
Kaa IoT brings forth several key features for IoT solutions, including data collection and management, device management, event processing and analytics, security, and multi-tenancy.
Kaa IoT is developed and maintained by Kaa IoT, a company that delivers professional services and support for the platform. It can be used for various IoT use cases, including industrial automation, smart cities, and connected cars.
TTN is an open-source, community-driven IoT network that allows developers to connect devices to the internet using low-power wireless protocols like LoRaWAN.
The network offers IoT development tools for building and deploying connected applications, including a cloud-based network server and APIs for interacting with connected devices.
One of the critical features of TTN is its use of LoRaWAN, which capacitates users for long-range, low-power communication between devices. This makes it well-suited for smart cities, agriculture, and building automation applications, where devices may be deployed in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
TTN also brings forth a web-based interface for managing and monitoring devices on the network and developer tools for building and testing IoT applications. The network is designed to be highly scalable and can handle millions of devices and messages.
TTN is an open-source project, and the community is encouraged to contribute to developing the network and its associated tools. The TNN foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes and supports the development of the network.
7. RIOT
RIOT is an open-source operating system for IoT. It is designed to be lightweight and resource-efficient and can run on a broad range of devices, including microcontrollers, embedded systems, and low-power wireless devices.
RIOT is built on top of a microkernel architecture, which prepares it to be highly modular and customizable to different hardware and use cases. It brings to the table several features specific to IoT applications, such as support for low-power wireless protocols like IEEE 802.15.4 and 6LoWPAN and libraries for interacting with sensors and other connected devices.
RIOT also includes a real-time operating system (RTOS) and multi-threading support, which qualifies it to handle multiple tasks and events simultaneously. Additionally, RIOT has a small memory footprint and can run on devices with limited resources.
RIOT is designed to be highly portable and can be easily ported to different hardware applications, as well as integrated with various networking stacks and cloud platforms. It is engineered to be secure, with assistance from secure communication protocols like DTLS and OSCOAP, and the ability to run on devices with hardware-based security features.
8. OpenMTC
Open Machine Type Communications or OpenMTC is an open-source IoT software development tool comprising libraries for creating and managing IoT devices and applications, including a device management system, a data collection, and storage system, and APIs for interacting with connected devices.
OpenMTC is designed to be highly scalable and can be used to manage and monitor large numbers of devices and sensors. It also supports many IoT protocols and standards, such as MQTT, CoAP, LWM2M, and 6LoWPAN, and can be integrated with various cloud tools.
One of the key features of OpenMTC is its ability to support different IoT use cases, from simple device monitoring and management to more complex applications such as industrial automation and smart cities. This is accomplished through its modular architecture, allowing developers to easily add new functionality to the software.
OpenMTC is developed under the umbrella of oneM2M, a global standardization initiative for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and IoT communications.
9. Eclipse Kura
Eclipse Kura is an open-source Java-based IoT edge framework based on the Eclipse SmartHome project. It enables developers to easily create and deploy IoT applications on gateways that connect devices and sensors to the cloud.
Kura offers Java-based APIs for interacting with connected devices and sensors and a web-based administration interface for configuring and managing the gateway.
It has many features for managing and monitoring connected devices, such as data collection, storage, and visualization. Additionally, Kura supports common IoT protocols, such as MQTT and CoAP, and includes support for cloud platforms like AWS IoT and Google Cloud IoT.
Kura is designed to be highly modular, so developers can easily add new functionality to their IoT gateways and customize their applications to fit their specific needs.
10. IoTivity
IoTivity offers libraries and tools for creating connected devices that can communicate with each other using standard protocols, such as CoAP and MQTT.
IoTivity includes a resource and device management system, which facilitates devices to discover and interact with each other on a network.
The project is supported by the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF). It is designed to be platform-independent to be used on various devices, including those with limited resources.
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Over to you
Open-source IoT technologies help ensure that IoT projects are prosperous, secure, and cost-effective. They play a vital role by offering necessary tools for developers to build, test, and deploy IoT solutions. We hope the listicle presented by us will complement your IoT app development process. Unsure of which platform will do justice to your IoT app?
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