Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an increasingly popular term and concept over the past several years. What is the Internet of Things? In short, using the IoT involves connecting a device to the Internet and to other connected devices. On a larger scale, the IoT is a network of connected devices and people that collect and share data about the way devices are used and the environments around them.
The consumer side of IoT includes many types of devices, such as smart speakers, doorbell cameras, smoke alarms, thermostats, lightbulbs, refrigerators, and wearable fitness devices. These connect to an IoT platform (software services or the cloud), which pulls in data from different devices and applies analytics to share valuable information with applications built to address certain needs, according to IBM.
For example, IoT data can provide companies with valuable insights into shopping behavior in stores. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology can track a shopper’s smartphone through a building and — with permissions — integrate data with a customer profile and a shopping history for more personalized recommendations. Sensors inside and outside stores can provide information about temperature, light, and humidity, which may influence shopping behavior, in-store experiences, and store operations, according to Intel.
Industrial Internet of Things
On the nonconsumer side, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) brings together machines, cloud services, analytics, and people to improve the performance and productivity of industrial processes, according to Amazon. Enabling technologies within the IIoT space include embedded computing devices, cloud computing, cameras and smart cameras, software, and artificial intelligence technology.
Even on their own, these technologies can improve productivity and reduce waste and downtime, but when interconnected, IIoT devices let companies collect and analyze data in new ways to optimize manufacturing processes and drive new levels of efficiency and productivity. For example, IIoT use cases may include predictive quality, predictive maintenance, and asset tracking and monitoring.
The McKinsey & Company report Leveraging Industrial IoT and Advanced Technologies for Digital Transformation offers a valuable IIoT road map. The report suggests that once a company makes a business case for IIoT development and the uses cases it will enable, the company needs to focus on technology at the levels of data infrastructure, cloud integration, and ecosystems. At the machine level, this involves devices such as cameras and sensors, and of course industrial computers, which act as a gateway for IIoT applications.
Whether working with IoT or IIoT, industrial PCs help cameras, sensors, and other devices collect, store, process, share, and analyze data at the edge. Applications like these require reliable, scalable, secure, and powerful industrial PCs that will keep processes moving. CoastIPC carries several industrial computer models capable of deployment into IoT or IIoT applications.
Industrial PCs
Many industrial PCs offered by CoastIPC target IoT and IIoT deployments. These include computers from leading companies such as Advantech and Neousys Technology. Products have processors from Intel, AMD, and NXP and feature options such as fanless design, IEEE 1588 compatibility, rugged IP67 design, and more. We can customize industrial PCs with third-party cards or software so they’re ready for your IIoT applications out of the box.
NVIDIA Jetson
CoastIPC offers several industrial PCs equipped with NVIDIA’s Jetson edge AI platform, which can help with IoT and IIoT applications. These include NVIDIA Jetson AGX edge AI computers for intelligent video analytics, NVIDIA Jetson Tegra X2 computers with 256 CUDA cores, NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX computers, and NVIDIA Jetson NANO computers. Contact us today and learn how we can help solve your specific smart factory or IIoT applications with NVIDIA Jetson technology.
GPU Computers and VPU Computers
For compute-intensive machine vision, robotics, or deep learning applications, CoastIPC can help you build the right GPU computing platform. Products include NVIDIA GPU computers, PCs with dual GPU slots, VPU computers, and other edge AI devices. We can also build custom GPU computers or VPU computers to suit your particular machine vision application needs.
Data Acquisition and Control
IIoT applications require components beyond industrial PCs. CoastIPC carries several different data acquisition and communication components, including frame grabbers, constant current LED controllers, remote I/O modules, switches, converters, and IoT IP nodes.
