Fortune USA 201906

(Chris Devlin) #1
he huge growth in the
Internet of things (IoT),
and the myriad of wireless
connections it uses to
intercommunicate, are
quickly becoming the foundation of
entirely new economies—until they
fail to work as expected. It’s a scenario
quickly becoming all too real thanks
to the 28 billion connected devices
Ericsson predicts will be in the market
by 2021.
The sheer number of wireless

devices sharing the radio spectrum
with growing numbers of wireless
laptops and cell phones that connect
us all creates a perfect storm of
interference that poses a serious
threat to the IoT economy. When
wireless devices are unable to
peacefully coexist, they can experience
slowdowns, service interruptions, data
loss, or outright failure.
For companies that develop or
rely on IoT devices, the implications
are staggering—lost revenue,
damaged brand, costly recalls, or
worse. Surviving, much less thriving,
in this “interference of things”
requires companies to be aware of
these challenges and have a plan to
minimize and mitigate interference.

GAINING AWARENESS IS KEY


Reliance on IoT devices and wireless
networks is growing exponentially
as nearly every industry rethinks
what is possible, from autonomous
vehicles to next-generation robotics to
advanced healthcare. Most, if not all,
of those new IoT innovations depend
on seamless, nanosecond transfers
of data via wireless protocols such as
Bluetooth, Zigbee, 4G/5G, and Wi-Fi.
Diff erent wireless standards often
share the same frequency bands.
As new devices and applications
are introduced, signal interference
is inevitable. It impedes the smooth
transfer of information, sometimes
unexpectedly introducing new ways for
things to go wrong.

CONTENT FROM KEYSIGHT


In wireless devices, signal
interference causes
data loss and network
malfunctions, but experts
at Keysight Technologies

say these problems are
preventable.

Surviving, much less thriving, in this “interference of things”
requires companies to be aware of these challenges and
have a plan to minimize and mitigate interference.

THRIVING IN THE


INTERFERENCE


OF THINGS

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