There are an explosion in Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connected products such as wireless sensors, smart meters, home automation systems and wearables. The lowered cost of components such as sensors and processors along with increasing wireless connectivity has resulted in many products being made “smart” and able to communicate with each other without human intervention. Successful products must meet often competing requirements including low power consumption, long wireless connectivity ranges and higher processing power.

IoT MCU

IoT Sensor Node Requirements :

The network topology of IoT systems is comprised of simple nodes that collect and transmit a limited amount of data to a central controller or gateway which provides connectivity to the Internet and cloud services. Nodes and gateways must be designed to minimize power consumption, provide reliable and robust network connections and extend wireless connectivity range as far as possible.
At the heart of IoT systems is a processor unit or microcontroller (MCU) that processes data and runs software stacks interfaced to a wireless device for connectivity. Requirements for both the MCU and wireless device are specific to the end application and system requirements. Advanced IoT sensor nodes consolidate sensor functions and use either an 8-bit MCU or a 32-bit device to run a small radio frequency (RF) protocol stack. These devices are typically battery powered and connect to gateways where heavier processing and data transmission occurs.