BASEIM

IoT is all about connecting different devices and multiple factors affects the working and performance of your model. One such factor is “Which TOPOLOGY to choose”. There are multiple options present in front of us to go for, but sometimes this becomes the most neglected thing in our design. We choose any random topology without analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of that particular topology.


One key point we forget while choosing the topology is that the description you find in different website is in respect with computer technology. When we are connecting our hardware device mostly we use cheap microcontrollers to save cost which is very low in performance as compared to computers. In this blog we will be telling you advantages and disadvantages of different topologies with respect to your hardware. Some key differences between to show how computer topology can differ from a simple microcontroller topology:-
Computers can easily embed complex wireless devices for transmission and reception, but for microcontrollers we mostly use single transceivers like nrf24l01. To operate this we have to keep switching the state between Transmitter and Receiver.
Computer can compute millions of bits in few seconds but microcontroller can barely do kilobits of data
Computers can easily be updated and many drivers are available but not in case of microcontrollers.






Different topology and there features from hardware perspective:-


BUS Topology:- This topology is unidirectional and uses a single cable to transmit data between different devices.
Use Case:- It is a kind of MASTER-SLAVE communication in which Master commands and Slave follows. If your Master module does not need the status update from the slave then it is best topology to choose.






Advantages:- The main advantage is that it is a wired transmission. It increases the data rate and minimizes the data loss. Adding an extra slave is very easy and sending broadcast messages is also very easy in this topology.
Disadvantages:– The wired feature restrict the area of usage. This network cannot be used where devices are kept far from each other. Even though the MASTER has transmitted the data he never knows the status, whether the command has been successfully implemented or not because of its unidirectional communication.






RING Topology:- The topology got its name because each node is connected to other two nodes in a form of ring/circle. This is a unidirectional communication system.
Use Case:- RING topology is barely recommended as a standalone topology because to reach a certain node there is a fix path to follow. It may be easy from coding perspective but it takes a lot of time to reach data to its node.
Advantages:– it is very easy to code as you just have to define the path for each node. In code you just have to check if this is your address, if not then send it to next node. It is very cost effective for smaller networks.
Disadvantages:– Adding new nodes to the topology is a big headache. If number of nodes in topology is =n then maximum number of nodes one data packet has to travel is n-1 because of its unidirectional characteristics.






MESH Topology:- It is a point-to-point connection to other nodes or devices. In this each devise is connected with all other devices and can send and receive data to and from any device. It has n*(n-2)/2 physical channels to link n devices.






Use Case:- This is the most trending topology in IoT. The basic advantage with this module is that every device is connected to every other device and data can easily be transmitted or received to or from any other device directly without any delay.
Advantages:- Each module can work as a central module and can talk to any other module at any instant of time. What makes it easy to use is that the library for this topology is easily available. Nearly for every wireless transceiver there are some libraries to provide mesh networking.
Disadvantages:– Very hard to implement from hardware perspective as each device must know the address of all other device. Similarly adding a new device is a big issue because you have to register the device address to all other devices one-by-one, you also have to hardcode the address of each device to the new one. This topology is easy to implement if you are using wireless communication like nrf24l01 RF module, but since each node has to connect all other node it restricts the distance.


STAR Topology:- This is also one of the most used network topology. In this type of topology all the computers are connected to a single hub through a cable. This hub is the central node and all others nodes are connected to the central node.


Use Case:- It can be implement in every condition in IoT and one of the best suited for home automation. The central module communicates with all other modules bidirectional.
Advantages:– Adding a new module is very easy, you just have to register the device with the central module and he can update the address of the newly added module to every node. Similar case is with device deregistration. Implementation from hardware perspective.
Disadvantages:– As each device has to communicate with the central module the range of communication can decrease in case of wireless transmission system. The performance mostly depends on performance of HUB. If that gets damaged then the whole system will shut down.






CONCLUSION


When you are building IoT solution for Home or Car, there will be a module which will be connected to cloud so that you can remote access it and that module will send the data to other nodes. As far as best topology to choose the opinion may vary from person to person but STAR TOPOLOGY is most widely used. Reasons for choosing this topology are:-
For remote accessing the modules you need to connect it to cloud but if you connect each module with cloud, your cost will touch the sky. And implementing cloud connectivity for each module is expensive as it needs high functioning microcontrollers like Raspberry Pi or C.H.I.P computers.
Performance of Star topology depends on the central module (HUB). For this we can use Raspberry Pi and other nodes can simply run on Arduino or PIC microcontroller.
In connected Home or connected car solution each nodes work solely and barely needs to talk to each other for ex:- the fuel indicator has nothing to do with air pressure in tiers. Any computation will be done by the HUB.


At last the needs and requirement may vary so please choose you topology carefully and keep your hardware capabilities and cost in mind. Please share your views about the post and let me know if you have any better topology ideas to make communication faster and this world a better place.

The concept for connected world is gaining trend in this era. BASEIM is one of our products in this field. BASEIM abbreviation of BASE for Inter-connected Module is our basic platform through which we are intended to connect the world. Our concept is not only to automate your home just your car, but to make a connected world in which each device will communicate, share data, learn to make your life sorted.


As a first step we are introducing BASEIM- SMART HOME. As the name says, this module will convert your home into a smart home. The basic idea is to give control of your home appliance to you from any part of the world through your mobile. There is a common confusion or misunderstanding in people mind SMART HOME means one has to buy expensive home appliances and gadgets and they have to download some apps to control them. Well then you are not wrong completely, yes you have to buy some gadgets (not expensive) and yes you have to download an application (only one).

We are here to make your home smart means we will be controlling your devices through your switches and sockets. You need not to worry about the present working switches, our product BASEIM will just get attached over yours existing switches and sockets. Our philosophy is that WORK AND LET OTHER WORK. You can control your appliances through existing switches or through mobile.


MODULES available with BASEIM:-


Central Module


Switch Board Module


AC Module


Geyser Module


Kitchen Module


Functionality of each module is explained below:-


CENTRAL BOARD: – This is the brain of BASEIM. It connects with your home Wi-Fi router and sends instruction to all other modules. This module is responsible for:-
Communication between all devices
Getting instruction from mobile when you are in home
Getting instruction from mobile via cloud
Registration or Deregistration of Modules.


Till now you might have got the clear idea what is the use of this module. When you are in home it uses Wi-Fi signals to directly communicate through your mobile which means your data is saved and you don’t need to turn on your Bluetooth so your battery is also saved.


You will need data when you want to access your home through outside. In that case you will make a request on cloud and our central module will get the data from there. It is as simple as pressing a switch and leave the rest on BASEIM.


Switch Board Module:- This module will fit with your existing switch board. With this module attached you can control all the appliances attached to that switch board. Not only switches but you can also control your sockets. It means whatever devices you connect in that socket, can be controlled from your mobile. You don’t have to worry about the working of your existing switches; it will keep working as it was earlier. Even when you change your switches it will be updated on your mobile. One key point what we kept in our mind while designing the BASEIM is protection. All the modules are highly protected with over voltage and over current. In our home maximum we can have power input of 1100W (220V*5A), but BASEIM can handle up to 1500W.


Air Conditioner module:- We are still working on this module to make it very effective for you. We are planning to make this module so user friendly that you don’t have to place any extra IR device near your AC just to control it. This is a very generic module and can fit with any type of IR or RF AC. Some of us may not know the basic difference between IR and RF AC. If you have an L.E.D coming out of your remote then it is IR (INFRARED) otherwise it is RF (RADIO FREQUENCY). We supports both the mode, it is just that you have notify in advance about it.


GYESER MODULE:- As the name suggests this module will control the geyser of your home. In this not only you can turn on or off your geyser, but also can control the timing like: when it needs to be turned on, duration of its ON time. Or it can be scheduled with your alarm clock. For example if you have set your alarm for 6:00 am in the morning then BASIM will automatically turn on the geyser at 5:45 am. Again there is no worry of short circuiting or over load. As explained above BASEIM can handle more that maximum.


Kitchen Module:- This module is a kind of add-ons to our SMART HOME KIT. It basically contains GAS SENSOR, TEMPERATURE SENSOR and one switch control module. Our main idea is not only to control your heater connected to any socket but also to give some additional safety measures to our users.


This is a brief description of our upcoming product BASEIM: SMART HOME. Please feel free to share your idea, or any improvements, suggestions. Please let us know. We really appreciate this.


Thank You