Design IoT-Ready Enterprise Grade Wi-Fi Access Points
BT-204
By Bart Brinckman, Owen Troy | August 2023
Presented by Silicon Labs
IoT in the Enterprise
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly expanding within enterprise environments, driving significant growth in connected devices.
IoT Device Growth
Diagram Description: Two charts illustrate IoT device growth. The left chart, "Billions of Devices" (2018-2023), shows a stacked bar graph of device types, projecting M2M (IoT) connections to exceed 50% by 2023, with a 10% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). The right chart, "Global M2M (IoT) Connection Growth" (2018-2023), displays a bar graph showing billions of connections increasing from 6.1B in 2018 to 14.7B in 2023, driven by a 19% CAGR. This highlights IoT devices as the fastest-growing segment in enterprises. Source: Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018-2023).
Enterprise IoT Adoption Trends
Customer feedback indicates a significant increase in the number of IoT devices deployed in enterprises between 2022 and 2025, with a notable shift towards larger deployments (10,000-100,000+ devices).
Diagram Description: Two bar charts, "lot devices 2022" and "lot devices 2025", show the percentage of enterprises deploying specific ranges of IoT devices. The 2025 projection shows a marked increase in the higher deployment tiers (10,000-100,000 and 100,000+).
Key Drivers for Enterprise IoT:
- 1) Hybrid work & sustainability: Lower seat occupancy, Environmental monitoring & Control.
- 2) Smart value chains: Healthcare, Retail, Hospitality.
- 3) Automation: Manufacturing, Supply chain, Operations.
Diverse Enterprise IoT Use Cases
Diagram Description: A pie chart titled "Enterprise IoT use cases" shows the distribution of applications. Building management accounts for 24%, Asset tracking for 20%, Healthcare patient monitoring for 17%, Industrial automation for 15%, Logistics automation for 10%, Hospitality smart experiences for 8%, Retail automation for 5%, and Other for 1%.
IoT Wireless Technology Ranking
A survey of Cisco customers reveals the importance of different IoT access technologies:
Diagram Description: A bar chart titled "IoT wireless technology ranking" displays the importance of various wireless technologies for IoT access, based on a survey of Cisco customers. Wi-Fi ? is ranked highest, followed by BLE [Bluetooth icon], Zigbee [Zigbee icon], Thread [Thread icon], Matter [Matter icon], Private 5G [5G icon], and Public 5G [5G icon]. The text "Unlicensed & Supported on Cisco HW!" is noted.
Enterprise IoT Ecosystem Challenges
Implementing IoT in enterprises faces several top concerns:
Diagram Description: A pie chart titled "Enterprise Top concerns when implementing IoT use cases" illustrates key challenges. IoT device onboarding is the primary concern at 25%, followed by Enforcing security on IoT devices (23%), Deploying low-power technologies (BLE, Zigbee, Thread) (20%), Integration with applications (15%), Managing IoT device lifecycle (11%), and Other (6%).
Addressing IoT Pain Points
The presentation poses the question: "How do we solve these painpoints?"
The Fragmented Enterprise IoT Ecosystem
Proprietary solutions create fragmentation and hinder growth, but a standardized approach offers a scalable solution.
Diagram Description: This section contrasts two architectural approaches. "Proprietary stovepipes" (left) shows a closed system where each application requires its own gateway and proprietary device connections, limiting scalability to a few apps. "The need for a standard" (right) depicts a unified enterprise IoT platform interface where multiple applications connect seamlessly to devices, enabling secure, automated onboarding and scaling to many apps and devices. The transition is marked by a "From" to "To" arrow. Key differences highlighted include proprietary vs. app-based onboarding, proprietary vs. policy-based device control, and proprietary vs. structured API telemetry.
Success Factors for Enterprise IoT
- ? Standards-based approach for partners.
- ✔️ Works with what is in the market, & Extensible to new onboarding standards and L2 technologies.
- ? Leverage existing customer investment in APs and controllers.
Leveraging Existing IT Infrastructure with Cisco
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Access Points feature a built-in Silicon Labs IoT radio, enabling seamless integration.
- ⚙️ Configure as a BLE Gateway: Enables Catalyst 9100 Access Points as a BLE Gateway.
- ? Configure as a Beacon or BLE Centra: Facilitates BLE scanning and connection-based communication, or acts as virtual beacons.
- ? Configure and Talk to devices: Allows configuration of BLE devices from Cisco Spaces or other applications and consumption of telemetry data.
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Standardizing APIs for Accelerated Deployment
Common APIs across radio technologies provide flexibility for market needs.
Diagram Description: This diagram illustrates the standardization of APIs for IoT use case deployment. The "Enterprise Network" includes various radio technologies (BLE [Bluetooth icon], Thread [Thread icon], Wi-Fi ?, Zigbee [Zigbee icon], etc.) connected to a "Gateway". This Gateway interfaces with an "Application" layer through standardized APIs. Key functions include: Onboarding (supporting CRUD operations: Create, Update, Delete devices), Device Control (via NIPC, HTTP or MQTT), and Data Receiver (handling broadcasts, streaming data, and connection state). Connections are managed via Provisioning (SCIM), Device Control (NIPC), and Device Telemetry (MQTT).
Open Application Integration
Cisco Spaces facilitates open integration between partner applications and enterprise IoT infrastructure.
Diagram Description: A layered architecture for "Open Application integration". At the top are "Partner Apps" and "View APIs". Below this is "DNA Spaces" and "IoT Infrastructure Gateway APIs". The architecture is split into "On-prem Managed" and "Cloud Managed" sections. The on-prem side includes a Controller, Internal Low-level BLE APIs, Catalyst APs, and DNA spaces IoT marketplace sensors. The cloud-managed side includes Meraki Dashboard, Internal Low-level BLE APIs, Meraki MRs, WebEx Devices, Meraki MVs, and Meraki MT.
Example Use Case: Patient Monitoring with Wearables
This use case demonstrates the evolution of patient monitoring from current methods to future possibilities leveraging IoT.
Diagram Description: A visual comparison titled "Example use case: Patient monitoring with wearables". "Patient Monitoring Tomorrow" shows a scenario with connected wearables, sensors, access points, and cloud connectivity, spanning different levels of care (Home, Level 0 Normal Ward, Level 1 Acute Ward, Level 2 Post-op Care, Level 3 Critical Care). "Patient Monitoring Today" depicts a more manual and less integrated approach. The diagram also shows varying sizes of circles representing 'Beds' at different care levels.
Diagram Description: A workflow diagram details the "Patient monitoring" process. Step 1: Nurse scans QR code on patient ID bracelet and sensor. Step 2: Sensor is provisioned on the network by Hospital Patient Monitoring Device Mgmt. Step 3: EMR Sensor is connected to the network. The diagram illustrates data flow from Access Points (APs) through an IoT Controller and Gateway to Device Control and Data Receiver modules within an application. Arrows indicate processes like Trusted Introduction, Bootstrapping Acquisition, Onboarding, Device Control, and Telemetry/Data & Meta-Data. Step 5 shows the Nurses' Station receiving patient data via a pub-sub interface from the Hospital Patient Management system.
Example Use Case: Retail Store IoT Electronic Shelf Labeling
Implementing IoT for electronic shelf labeling in retail stores offers enhanced efficiency and customer experience.
Diagram Description: This diagram illustrates "Retail Store IoT Electronic Shelf Labeling". A "Central ESL Management Server" communicates "Change Price" commands to "Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series APs". The APs then update "Electronic Shelf Labels" with the new price, indicated by "Price is Changed". Key benefits highlighted are: Remote price update, Item location discovery, and Immediate Item availability check. Example electronic shelf labels are shown with product details and pricing.
Cisco Spaces IoT Device Marketplace
An ecosystem for discovering and integrating third-party IoT devices, both wired and wireless.
Diagram Description: A screenshot of the "Cisco Spaces IoT Device Marketplace" interface. It allows users to filter IoT devices by Type (Wireless, Wired), Use Case, Price Range, Battery Life, and Technology. Featured devices like "EDRPB-CS", "M1 Tag Beacon", and "i7" are displayed with their specifications, prices, and volume discounts. The interface also shows logos for Cisco, Kontakt.io, and EnOcean.
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Cisco Spaces IoT Explorer
A tool for monitoring, managing, and optimizing assets, IoT sensors, alerting systems, and operational workflows.
Diagram Description: Screenshots of the "Cisco Spaces IoT Explorer" interface. This platform enables users to monitor and manage IoT assets and sensors. It features sections for exploring use cases like Temperature Monitoring, Asset Tracking, and Presence Detection. An example of configuring a "Temperature Rule" is shown, where a rule can be set to trigger actions like logging an event or sending an email when the temperature rises above a specified threshold (e.g., 22° Celcius).
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