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Everything You Need to Know About Internet of Things (IoT) Testing

By Kate Priestman - Head Of Marketing, Global App Testing

It's difficult to think of a more momentous 21st Century invention than that of smart technology. From smartphones to laptops, smart thermostats to smart TVs, our homes are now flooded with technology designed to make our lives constantly interconnected.

The latest figures show that nearly 260 million homes worldwide currently exist with this technology. As with any digital advancement, this is only going to keep increasing. The same study showed that nearly 480 million homes will interact with smart tech come 2025.

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With this reality almost unavoidable, digital companies have a massive opportunity on their hands. These products all exist within a subset of technologies known as the "Internet of Things". Throughout this article, we'll take a look at what that means, some examples of these products, and how testing them, as businesses, works.

What Is the Internet of Things?

Before we delve too deeply into the topic of testing, let's first make sure we're all clear on what the term "Internet of Things" means. After all, there is very little point in discussing how to most effectively test something which, in itself, we don't fully comprehend.

If we outlined the benefits of similar concepts like continuous integration without first explaining "what is continuous integration?", then this could lead to miscommunication. Let's sidestep this confusion with a clear explanation of what the Internet of Things exactly is.

Quite simply, the Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a group of products that have originated to make life more convenient. If that's the case, you may ask, what differentiates an Apple Watch from a kettle? And does all technology that ensures we don't have to revert to the lifestyle of cavepeople count as an IoT product?

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Where IoT products differentiate themselves from household appliances of yesteryear is their ability for connectivity. If you're one of the 65% of Americans that own these gadgets, chances are you're already aware of their ability to sync with each other. This is made more likely if they all come from the same supplier - Apple or Samsung, for example.

Unsurprisingly, this ability to create interconnected technological ecosystems presents business opportunities. From optimizing processes to taking on the more mundane tasks that no employee wants to have to do, IoT can be a great business solution.

Deciding which IoT technology to invest in as well as ensuring the IoT technology you have in place, all require testing. Now, we'll take a look at how that particular process works.

How Does IoT Testing work?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the approach you take to testing your IoT technology is dependent on both what it is and what it'll be used for. If you're a company that develops apps, for example, launching one without running it through beta testing software would be unwise.

We won't go over any of these approaches in minute detail, but let's take a look at the main IoT testing methodologies.

Usability

Usability is the test done to ensure that your tech is appropriate and can be used as part of the daily function of your business. If your IoT equipment is impractical or unreliable, then it wouldn't make sense to choose it.

However, if you invest in something like a cloud PBX system, and find that using this equipment is something that demonstrably makes the jobs of your workforce easier, then it may well be the product for you.

Performance

Performance testing is carried out to ensure that the product is performing as it should. If you find that your technology is working at a lower capacity or isn't doing the job you purchased it for, then changes need to be made. It either needs to be set up more suitably, or it may not be the right technology for your particular operation.

Compatibility

If you already have smart technology in your business, compatibility testing is carried out to make sure that any new technology that you acquire can respond and interact with your existing framework. Think of this as an electrical circuit. If one part of it can't work with the rest of the infrastructure, this can be a real issue to your operation.

Regulatory

Regulatory testing is often carried out by businesses in an industry that has independent regulation. Here, you need to ensure that your IoT meets the required criteria as set out by the regulatory body. Failure to do so not only undermines your operation but could result in legal proceedings.

Security

Security testing is carried out to ensure that the integration of any IoT technology doesn't create any weaknesses in your business security. Being able to rely on a closed network of company-specific and sensitive data is a reality for a lot of businesses these days, especially if you've had past problems with network or email security. Any IoT needs to be able to enhance this, not create gaps in your defenses.

IoT Testing Tools

Now that we've discussed what kinds of tests you can run to check the suitability of IoT for your business - most companies will need to run a variety of the approaches listed above - let's take a look at how you can do this.

As IoT has become such a large part of business functions, the need for tools that allow companies to run testing on IoT has also increased. They differentiate based on whether you're testing hardware or software, but multiple solutions for both exist. Integrating these into a larger test plan is a good move before starting to explore the intricacies of the test whilst it's taking place.

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If you're testing software, you could use tools like Tcpdump or Wireshark. The former suffers the issue of not having a graphical user interface, but both can be effective in monitoring IoT software in several ways, depending on your testing approach.

If you're looking at hardware, programs like Software Defined Radio and Digital Storage Oscilloscope could come in handy. The first tests wireless gateways by imitating receivers and transmitters, where the latter checks issues with aspects such as power supply and signal.

Conclusion

Throughout this article, we've taken a look at what the Internet of Things is. We've also explored why businesses may want to take advantage of it, how they can test their IoT architecture and the tools they can use to carry out these tests.

Not everything here is going to be appropriate for every business situation. However, with smart technology developing at quite the rate, integration now rather than later sets your company up for faster, future progression.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Priestman - Head Of Marketing, Global App Testing

Kate Priestman 

Kate Priestman is the Head of Marketing at Global App Testing, a trusted and leading end-to-end functional testing solution for challenges on building app and QA. Kate has over 8 years of experience in the field of marketing, helping brands achieve exceptional growth. She has extensive knowledge on brand development, lead and demand generation, and marketing strategy - driving business impact at its best. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Published Wednesday, December 01, 2021 7:32 AM by David Marshall
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