Top 30 IoT Questions & Answers

Top IoT interview questions and answers.

1. What is IoT?

• The internet of things is referred to as IoT. It is a network of connected physical components, all of which have individual identifiers. Internet connectivity is expanded by IoT beyond conventional platforms, including PCs, laptops, and mobile phones. 
• IoT devices don't need to communicate with people in order to transport data over a network. The devices are equipped with embedded systems that are capable of a variety of tasks, including gathering data about the environment, sending information over a network, reacting to orders from a distance, and taking actions based on the information gathered. 
• Wearables, implants, cars, machines, cellphones, appliances, computer systems, and any other thing that can be uniquely identified, transport data, and be a part of a network are all considered Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets.

2. What industries can benefit from IoT?

• A wide range of industries can benefit from IoT, including healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, automotive, public transportation, utilities and energy, environmental, smart cities, smart homes and consumer devices.

3. How can IoT benefit the healthcare industry?

• The internet of medical things, or IoM, has several advantages for the healthcare sector. These advantages include the following:
• Wearable technology that can track a patient's vitals or health and instantly report updates to the hospital.
• Implanted Internet of Things (IoT) devices that can automatically supply medical facilities with data regarding implants and their functions and assist in maintaining a patient's health. Additionally, certain implants can be modified without necessitating further surgery.
• Patients in medical facilities, particularly those who are young or easily confused, can benefit from wearables that make it easier to monitor and follow them. Additionally, wearables can monitor patient flow to streamline procedures like admitting or discharging.
• Medical facilities can give their employees wearables that track their activities and analyze the data gathered to find more effective ways to manage workflow and streamline daily chores.
• All stages of the pharmaceutical cycle can be more effectively managed by medical facilities and patients, from drafting and filling prescriptions to monitoring consumption and alerting patients when it's time to take particular doses.
• In addition to streamlining internal operations and managing their physical spaces and assets, medical institutions can also automate tasks like procuring supplies and keeping track of them. IoT may also make robotics more feasible for repetitive jobs.
• Medical facilities can connect disparate medical equipment locations via the Internet of Things (IoT), which will allow them to eliminate manual processes and unnecessary paperwork while sharing data and coordinating patient activities more efficiently.
• IoT devices can be used by medical equipment to monitor processes and make sure that no mistakes are made that could endanger patient safety.

4. What is meant by a smart city in IoT?

• An urban area that connects and improves the delivery of city services through the use of IoT technologies is known as a smart city. In addition to lowering energy consumption, managing infrastructure, lowering health hazards, streamlining traffic, improving public transportation, improving air quality, managing parking, managing utilities, and improving a host of other functions, smart cities can also help reduce crime. The smart city can coordinate and automate a wide range of services, lower costs, and increase the number of people who can access those services by using sensor-driven data collecting.
• It takes more than just placing IoT devices all around a city to implement a smart city. To deploy and manage those devices, as well as to process, analyze, and store the data, the city requires a robust infrastructure. The system needs complex applications that use cutting-edge technology like predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). 
• In addition, the system needs to handle potential interoperability problems as well as security and privacy considerations. It should come as no surprise that such an endeavor can be quite time- and money-consuming, but for the municipality that can successfully implement it, the advantages of a smart city may well outweigh the costs.

5. What are the main components of the IoT architecture?

The IoT architecture consists of the following components:

• Smart devices. Incorporate embedded systems to perform functions like data collection and transmission or handling commands from external management and control systems.
• Platforms for processing data. Incorporate the hardware and software required for processing and analyzing the data that is received from IoT devices via the network.
• Platforms for storage. To support its operations, manage, store, and connect the data with the data processing platform.
• Infrastructure for networks. Enables connectivity between the platforms for data processing and storage and the devices.
• UI. permits users to establish a direct connection with Internet of Things (IoT) devices in order to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot them. The user interface (UI) may also offer a means of seeing the logs or data that the device has created. The interfaces used to examine data gathered on the platforms for data processing and storage are different from this one.
• IoT architecture can be categorized in further ways. Consider treating platforms for data processing and storage as a unified unit or dividing the platform into several parts, such hardware and software.

6. What is an embedded system on an IoT device?

• A firmware, software, and hardware combination designed for a particular function is called an embedded system. In essence, it's a tiny computer that can be integrated into mechanical or electrical systems, such those found in cars, businesses, smart speakers, medical equipment, and digital watches. An embedded system may have fixed functionality or be configurable.
• It typically consists of a CPU, memory, power supply, communication interfaces, and the software required to perform tasks. A lightweight operating system, such as a trimmed-down variant of Linux, may also be installed on some embedded systems.
• Data is transferred from an embedded system's processor to a peripheral device—a gateway, a central data processing platform, or another embedded system—using communication ports. The processor could be a microcontroller, which is a microprocessor with peripheral ports and integrated memory, or a microprocessor. The processor employs specialized software that is stored in memory to interpret the data that has been acquired.
• The complexity and functionality of embedded systems can differ greatly throughout Internet of Things devices, but they are all capable of processing and transmitting data.

7. What are the primary hardware components that make up an embedded system? 

Hardware components of any of the following kinds can be found in an embedded system:

• A sensor or alternative input mechanism. collects and transforms data from the observable environment into an electrical signal. The input device determines the kind of data that is collected.
• Digital to analog converter. converts an analog electrical signal to a digital one. ∙ processor. handles the digital data that is collected by the sensor or other input device.
• Memory. holds the digital data that is collected by the sensor or other input device, as well as specific software.
• An analog to digital converter. converts the processor's digital data into analog data.
• Actuator. acts in accordance with the information gathered from a sensor or other input source.
• It is possible for an embedded system to include several sensors and actuators. A system might, for instance, have a number of sensors that collect data about the environment, convert it, and send it to the processor. After processing, the data is translated once again before being transmitted to several actuators, which then execute predetermined actions.

8. What is a sensor in an IoT device?

• In essence, a sensor is a physical item that reads its surroundings for information by detecting and reacting to input. Instead of recording the outside temperature, a sensor that monitors the temperature inside heavy machinery recognizes and reacts to the temperature inside that machinery. A sensor's collected data is usually electronically sent to other embedded system components for any necessary conversion and processing.
• Numerous sensor kinds, such as those that measure light, heat, motion, moisture, temperature, pressure, proximity, smoke, chemicals, air quality, or other environmental factors, are supported by the Internet of Things industry. Some IoT devices use several sensors in order to collect a variety of data. For instance, smart thermostats that monitor motion and temperature may be found in office buildings. In this manner, the thermostat will automatically turn down the heat if no one is in the room.
• An actuator, on the other hand, reacts to the data that a sensor produces.

8. What are some examples of sensors that can be used in agriculture? 

Many sensors are available for agriculture, including the following:

• Airflow. Measures soil's air permeability.
• Acoustic. Measures the level of noise from pests.
• Chemical. Measures levels of a specific chemical, such as ammonium, potassium or nitrate, or measures such conditions as pH levels or presence of a specific ion.
• Electromagnetic. Measures the soil's ability to conduct electrical charge, which can be used to determine characteristics such as water content, organic matter or degree of saturation.
• Electrochemical. Measures the nutrients within the soil.
• Humidity. Measures the moisture within the air, such as in a greenhouse.
• Soil moisture. Measures the wetness of the soil.

10. What is a thermocouple sensor?

• A thermocouple sensor is a common type of sensor that measures temperature. The sensor includes two dissimilar electrical metal conductors joined at one end to form an electrical junction, which is where the temperature is measured. 
• The two metal conductors produce a small voltage that can be interpreted to calculate the temperature. Thermocouples come in multiple types and sizes, are inexpensive to build and are highly versatile. 
• They can also measure a wide range of temperatures, making them well suited for a variety of applications, including scientific research, industrial settings, home appliances and other environments.

11. What are some of the main differences between Arduino and Raspberry Pi?

• Arduino and Raspberry Pi are electronic prototyping platforms used extensively in IoT devices. Table 1 describes some of the differences between the two platforms.

12. What are GPIO pins in Raspberry Pi platforms?

• A common interface used by Raspberry Pi and other microcontrollers to connect to external electronic components is called general-purpose I/O (GPIO). There are 40 GPIO pins available on more recent Raspberry Pi models, and these pins are utilized for many things. 
• For instance, GPIO pins can provide 3.3 volt or 5 volt direct current power, work as a serial peripheral interface bus, ground devices, function as a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter, or perform other tasks. 
• The ability for IoT developers to manage Raspberry Pi GPIO pins via software gives them a great deal of flexibility and the ability to be used for a variety of IoT applications.

13. What role does a gateway play in IoT?

• A physical device or software application known as an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway enables connection between IoT devices and the network, transporting device data to a centralized location—like the public cloud—where it is processed and stored. 
• Data may be moved both ways with smart device gateways and cloud endpoint protection technologies, which also help prevent data from being compromised by using methods like hardware random number generators, crypto engines, tamper detection, and encryption. 
• Additional characteristics that improve IoT communications that gateways may have include data aggregation, caching, buffering, filtering, and cleansing.

14. What is the OSI model and what communication layers does it define?

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model provides a foundation for internet communication, including IoT systems. The OSI model defines a standard for how devices transfer data and communicate with each other over a network and is divided into seven layers that build on top of each other:

• Layer 1: Physical layer. Transports data using electrical, mechanical or procedural interfaces, sending bits from one device to another along the network.
• Layer 2: Data link layer. A protocol layer that handles how data is moved into and out of a physical link in a network. It also addresses bit transmission errors.
• Layer 3: Network layer. Packages data with the network address information and selects the appropriate network routes. It then forwards the packaged data up the stack to the transport layer.
• Layer 4: Transport layer. Transfers data across a network, while providing error-checking mechanisms and data flow controls.
• Layer 5: Session layer. Establishes, authenticates, coordinates and terminates conversations between applications. It also reestablishes connections after interruptions.
• Layer 6: Presentation layer. Translates and formats the data for the application layer using semantics accepted by the application. It also carries out required encryption and decryption operations.
• Layer 7: Application layer. Enables an end user, whether software or human, to interact with the data through the necessary interfaces.

15. What are some of the protocols used for IoT communication?

The following list includes many of the protocols being used for IoT:

• Advanced Message Queuing Protocol.
• Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE).
• Cellular.
• Constrained Application Protocol. 
• Data Distribution Service.
• Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. 
• Lightweight machine-to-machine. 
• Long range and LoRaWAN.
• MQTT.
• Wi-Fi. 
• Zigbee. 
• Z-Wave.

Additionally, cellular IoT technologies like 5G, LTE-M, and narrowband IoT can help with IoT communications. As a matter of fact, 5G is expected to be crucial in the upcoming explosion of IoT devices.

16. What are the main differences between Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE?

• Generally speaking, Bluetooth—also known as Bluetooth Classic—is utilized for purposes distinct from those of Bluetooth Low Energy. Although Bluetooth Classic uses a lot more power, it can process a lot more data.
• Although Bluetooth LE uses less power, it is not nearly as capable of exchanging data. A summary of some of the more notable distinctions between the two technologies can be seen in Table 2.

17. What impact could IPv6 have on IoT?

• IPv6, also known as Internet Protocol Version 6, is an improvement over IPv4. 
• The biggest modification is that IPv6 doubles the length of IP addresses from 32 to 128 bits. IPv4 can only support roughly 4.2 billion addresses because to its 32-bit restriction, which has already shown to be insufficient. 
• Future addressing needs must be accommodated by a system because to the growing number of IP-based platforms and IoT devices. The sector created.
• IPv6 is ideal for the Internet of Things since it can support trillions of devices. IPv6 also offers enhanced connectivity and security. 
• But it's the extra IP addresses that really stand out, which is why a lot of people think IPv6 will be essential to the development of IoT in the future.

18. What is the Zigbee Alliance?

• An alliance of companies known as the Zigbee Alliance collaborates to develop, advance, and publicize open standards for IoT devices and platforms. It creates international standards for wireless Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity between devices and certifies goods to promote interoperability.
• One of its most well-known initiatives is the open standard Zigbee, which is used to construct mesh networks that are low-power and self-organizing. Interoperability problems can be minimized because Zigbee-certified products can connect and communicate with one another using the same IoT language. 
• Zigbee is built upon the IEEE 802.15 specification, but it also includes an application framework, network, and security layers.

19. What are some use cases for IoT data analytics?

The following use cases represent ways IoT data analytics can benefit organizations:

• Anticipating client needs and preferences to enhance the planning of product features and release schedules, while also introducing novel value-added services.
• Enhancing the performance of HVAC systems in confined spaces such as shopping centers, medical facilities, data centers, and office buildings.
• Enhancing the quality of care provided to patients with comparable problems while gaining a deeper understanding of those conditions and focusing on the requirements of particular patients.
• Cutting fuel expenses and emissions while streamlining delivery processes like scheduling, routing, and vehicle maintenance, gaining a thorough understanding of how customers utilize their products in order to help a business create more clever marketing efforts.
• Identifying and foreseeing potential security threats in order to improve data security and meet legal requirements.
• Monitoring the distribution of utilities to consumers across geographical boundaries and gaining insight about their consumption habits.
• Enhancing farming methods to produce yields that are both bountiful and sustainable.
• Enhancing production processes to maximize machinery utilization and streamline processes.

20. How can edge computing benefit IoT?

Edge computing can benefit IoT in a number of ways, including the following:

• Supporting Internet of Things (IoT) devices in places with spotty network coverage, like oil rigs offshore, cruise ships, and other isolated areas.
• Preprocessing data in an edge environment and sending only the aggregated data to a central repository to reduce network congestion.
• Processing data closer to the IoT devices that are producing it reduces latency and speeds up reaction times.
• Lowering possible threats to security and compliance by dividing up networks into smaller, more manageable segments or by sending less data over the internet.
• Massive cloud centers are being decentralized to better serve particular contexts and cut down on the expenses and complications associated with processing, storing, transferring, and maintaining big data sets on a centralized platform.

21. How could 5G cellular networks impact IoT?

The coming wave of 5G networks could impact IoT in a variety of ways:

• More sophisticated use cases—like automated public transit or traffic management systems—that demand faster reaction times can be supported by more bandwidth and faster throughputs.
• By distributing more sensors, organizations can gather more data on equipment behavior or environmental elements. This data can be used to create more thorough analytics and increase the ability to automate processes at the industrial and consumer levels.
• 5G might aid sectors like healthcare and agriculture by enabling IoT on a larger scale in places where it might otherwise be challenging to achieve.
• Establishing smart cities, which necessitate a larger saturation of IoT devices, is made easier by the faster throughput and capacity to handle data from more sensors.
• Manufacturers may be able to better manage workflows, streamline processes, and track inventory over its whole lifecycle using 5G.
• Organizations and governments may react to a variety of catastrophes, including medical emergencies, pipeline spills, fires, traffic accidents, weather-related occurrences, and natural disasters, more swiftly and effectively thanks to 5G.
• As automobiles get more connected, 5G can help make them safer, better maintained, and more fuel-efficient. It can also accelerate the development of driverless vehicles.

22. What are some of the biggest security vulnerabilities that come with IoT? 

Security remains a huge part of IoT. The Open Web Application Security Project has identified the top 10 IoT security vulnerabilities, which include the following:

1. Weak, guessable or hardcoded passwords.
2. Insecure network services.
3. Insecure ecosystem interfaces.
4. Lack of secure update mechanisms.
5. Use of insecure or outdated components.
6. Insufficient privacy protection.
7. Insecure data transfer and storage.
8. Lack of device management.
9. Insecure default settings.
10. Lack of physical hardening.

23. What steps can an organization take to protect IoT systems and devices? 

A company can implement many measures to safeguard its Internet of Things systems, such as the following:

• Include security in the design process and make it active by default. 
• To secure IoT devices, use X.509 certificates and public key infrastructures.
• Apply performance metrics to protect the integrity of your data.
• Make sure every device has a distinct identity, and apply endpoint hardening techniques, such making devices tamper-evident or tamper-proof.
• Encrypt data while it's in transit and at rest using sophisticated cryptographic techniques.
• Preserve networks by blocking illegitimate IP addresses, terminating unneeded ports, turning off port forwarding, and updating network firmware and software. Install firewalls, intrusion detection systems, intrusion prevention systems, antimalware software, and any other required security measures as well.
• Utilize network access control protocols to recognize and list Internet of Things devices that are connected to the system.
• For IoT devices that are directly connected to the internet, use different networks. ∙ Use security gateways to act as a bridge between the network and the IoT devices.
• Update and patch any software that is used to manage IoT components or is a part of the IoT system on a regular basis.
• Offer security education and training to anybody involved in the IoT system, whether they are designing, managing, planning, or deploying.

24. What are the top challenges of implementing an IoT system?

Several obstacles must be overcome by organizations in order to successfully deploy an IoT system, including the following:

• To get the most out of their IoT systems, businesses need to be able to efficiently manage, store, process, and analyze the enormous amounts of data that IoT can produce.
• Occasionally, it can be challenging to manage power supply for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, particularly those that are battery-operated or located in difficult-to-reach places.
• Even the most experienced IT administrators may find it difficult to handle IoT devices since they frequently need to take extra precautions to monitor and control those devices.
• Even the most experienced IT administrators may find it difficult to handle IoT devices since they frequently need to take extra precautions to monitor and control those devices.
• It can be very difficult to maintain network connectivity for various IoT device types, particularly if those devices are widely dispersed, located in distant areas, or have very little bandwidth available.
• The deployment and management of a large number of IoT devices that are based on proprietary technology and come from multiple suppliers can be challenging in the absence of common IoT standards.
• Because IoT devices are widely dispersed and frequently have to compete with other internet traffic, ensuring the dependability of an IoT system can present challenges. Events such as power outages, natural catastrophes, cloud service interruptions, system malfunctions, and other situations might have an impact on the parts of an Internet of things system.
• Another major problem with IoT is complying with government rules, particularly if operating in numerous locations or in regions with conflicting or constantly changing regulations.
• Organizations must be able to safeguard their IoT devices, network infrastructure, on-premises compute and storage resources, and all associated data because IoT systems are vulnerable to a variety of security threats, including ransomware, botnets, shadow IT, physical vulnerabilities, and more.

25. What are the differences between IoT and IIoT?

• The term "industrial internet of things" (IIoT) refers to a subset of IoT that is especially focused on industrial environments, such manufacturing, agriculture, or the oil and gas industry. 
• IoT is concentrated on the consumer side of device connectivity, whereas IIoT is defined by some industry participants as two distinct initiatives. Regardless of the scenario, IIoT is firmly rooted in the industrial domain and focuses on leveraging intelligent sensors and actuators to optimize and mechanize industrial processes.
• IIoT, sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0, makes use of intelligent devices that facilitate M2M (machine-to-machine) or cognitive computing (AI, machine learning, and deep learning). Some devices even combine the two kinds of technologies. 
• Real-time data collection, analysis, and communication by intelligent devices provide information that can inform corporate choices. IIoT typically has more stringent criteria than IoT overall in areas like precision, robustness, compatibility, and security. The ultimate goals of IIoT are to optimize automation, enhance productivity, optimize workflows, and streamline operations.

26. What are the main differences between IoT and M2M?

• Though they aren't the same, the terms M2M and IoT are occasionally used synonymously. M2M makes it possible for networked devices to communicate with one another and perform tasks without the need for human intervention. For instance, M2M is frequently utilized to allow ATMs to connect to a central hub. 
• M2M devices communicate with one another via point-to-point protocols over wired or wireless networks. Since an M2M system usually uses common network technologies, such Ethernet or Wi-Fi, it is an affordable way to set up M2M communication.
• IoT, which relies on IP-based technologies to enable communication, is sometimes seen as an extension of M2M that boosts connectivity capabilities to build a much bigger network of communicating devices. Standard M2M systems are often isolated systems with limited scalability choices that are best suited for straightforward device-to-device communication, usually with one device at once. 
• With the ability to include many device architectures into a single ecosystem and enable simultaneous communications among them, IoT offers a far wider range of gadgets. IoT and M2M, on the other hand, are comparable in that they offer a framework for data exchange between devices without the need for human interaction.

27. What is IoE?

• The term "internet of everything" (IoE) refers to a conceptual expansion of the internet of things (IoT), which is primarily focused on objects, to include people, processes, and data in addition to things. 
• Cisco was the first to propose the idea of the Internet of Everything (IoE), claiming that the "benefit of IoE is derived from the compound impact of connecting people, process, data, and things, and the value this increased connectedness creates as 'everything' comes online."
• In contrast, IoE broadens the scope of the network to encompass connections between people and machines as well as between physical objects. Cisco and other supporters think that by "connecting the unconnected," those who use IoE will be able to extract new value.

28. Which types of testing should be performed on an IoT system?

Enterprises implementing an IoT system should conduct a variety of testing, including the following types:

• Practicality. guarantees that an IoT device provides the best user experience possible given the conditions in which it will be utilized.
• Usability. Verifies that every feature on the Internet of Things gadget functions as intended.
• Safety. guarantees that all relevant security specifications and legal criteria are met by IoT hardware, software, and infrastructure, including networks, computers, and storage. 
• Accurate data. guarantees the data's integrity within storage platforms, throughout processing processes, and across communication channels.
• Achievement. makes certain that the infrastructure, software, and IoT devices have the performance required to deliver services on schedule and without interruption.
• The ability to scale. It guarantees that the Internet of Things system can grow to accommodate changing needs without affecting functionality or upsetting services.
• Reliability. It guarantees that IoT systems and devices can provide the required level of services without experiencing unneeded or extended downtime.
• Connectivity. It guarantees uninterrupted communication and data transfer operations for IoT devices and system components, as well as automatic data loss recovery in the event of a disruption.
• Compatibility. It makes sure that problems with interoperability between IoT devices and other parts of the system are found and fixed and that adding, moving, or removing devices doesn't interfere with services.
• Exploratory. It makes sure the Internet of Things system performs as planned in practical settings and finds problems that other forms of testing might miss.

29. What is IoT asset tracking?

• No matter where they are situated or how they are being utilized, an organization's physical assets may be tracked via Internet of Things (IoT) asset tracking. 
• Anything from construction tools to medical equipment to delivery vans might be considered an asset. An organization can utilize IoT asset monitoring to automatically determine the location and movement of each tracked device, helping to assure greater accuracy and saving time, as opposed to attempting to track these assets manually.
• Organizations can also use asset monitoring to streamline everyday operations and workflows, enhance asset utilization, and make inventory maintenance easier.

30. What is Thingful?

• Thingful is an Internet of Things search engine that uses information from millions of available public IoT data sources to offer a geographical index of real-time data from connected devices worldwide. There are many different use cases for the data-generating devices, including energy, weather, shipping, aviation, air quality, and animal tracking. 
• Using a proprietary IoT device search ranking mechanism, the search engine provides devices, data sets, and real-time data sources to consumers through geolocation. Thingful allows people to collaborate with Millions of globally interconnected sensors and items produce real-time open data.
• IoT managers can utilize Thingful to solve issues with current data by analyzing trends, finding patterns, and spotting abnormalities. In addition, the search engine can assist in igniting a community's IoT innovation and educating locals about the IoT data and surroundings. 
• Initiatives centered around data and data education are a good fit for Thingful. In addition to setting up time-series experiments and producing statistical and analytical visualizations, users may also create accounts. Additionally, they can include nearby IoT data sources.

MSKuthar works as a freelance technology writer and technical consultant. He has a great deal of training materials, blogs, and articles about Windows, databases, business intelligence, and other tech-related topics.