What is M2M communication in IoT? - The Internet of Things is one of the most topical buzzwords in modern technology, with the term 'M2M communication' existing in parallel with IoT: but what exactly is M2M communication in relation to IoT?
Firstly, let's define M2M communication. The term stands for Machine-to-Machine, and the concept is pretty self-explanatory. M2M refers to a unique form of technology that allows devices to share and harvest information and perform actions without the need for input from humans.
We're aware that this might all sound slightly like the plot of a dystopian science fiction film. To make the concept a little more digestible, let's take a look a few examples of how M2M is useful in the world of remote monitoring. Say you own a chain of vending machines in various locations around the country. Rather than having to manually check when the stock is running low, M2M communication allows the vending machine itself to send a signal to the company network when a certain item needs to be refilled. Similarly, in the industrial and manufacturing field, safety is undoubtedly a priority at all times. In this regard, M2M equipment can send a signal over to your smartphone if a piece of equipment needs to be checked or services, so you can keep your team safe at all times.
IoT and M2M are both practically synonymous and uniquely different at the same time. Firstly, if you're trying to understand what M2M communication is in IoT, it's important to note that M2M was effectively the building blocks of the Internet of Things in the first place. Both M2M and IoT favour a form of communication between machines independent of human input, and IoT is often described as being the offspring of M2M.
However, there are also some important differences between the two. One of the biggest differences is the fact that M2M devices can communicate in wired or wireless form, with our without internet, whereas IoT communication specifically refers to the interaction between wireless devices using internet connectivity.
In this regard, IoT could be seen as a form of technology that expands the capabilities of M2M. Rather than purely utilising connections from one point to another, IoT thinks big and situates devices in a large, cloud-based framework. This means that you can add more and more IoT devices into the framework as and when you need them with minimal trouble, meaning that IoT is generally a lot more scalable than M2M.
When it comes to choosing between M2M communication and IoT, neither one is better than the other. Much like anything, it purely depends upon what you and your business are hoping to gain from your devices.
If you need a system that will keep your devices operating with or without WiFi connection, M2M might be the right choice for you, and IoT devices are entirely reliant on the internet - meaning that, if your internet connection goes down, the whole fleet will go down too. However, multi-network SIMS have been a big game-changer in the world of IoT, allowing for more reliable and versatile internet connections from anywhere and everywhere.
In contrast, however, if scalability is a priority for you, IoT could be the best way forward. Unlike M2M, IoT makes it much easier to increase the amount of devices operating within your platform, and communication between these devices occurs easily and seamlessly. With IoT, the many devices in your network can communicate with each other all at the same time - a feature that isn't possible with M2M.
IoT and M2M communication are unique technological developments that have improved the business world as we know it. Even better, this isn't as far as it goes for the Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine: these intelligent networks and devices will continue to advance as the years go on, taking communications to a place they've never been to before.
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