​How To Develop An IoT Application: Features, Benefits, and More!

In just ten years, the number of IoT-connected devices will triple. This could lead to over 25 billion devices by 2030. The total revenue will likely increase by up to $1 billion over the same time period.

These statistics show that the Internet of Things (an ecosystem of smart connected devices) will become an integral part of our daily lives and the business environment. It is actually already happening.

Many of the things we use every day are IoT products. Internet of Things solutions can make almost every aspect of our lives easier, from simple fitness trackers to complicated agricultural systems. There will be more and more applications of IoT in the future. It is no wonder that IoT application development has attracted a lot of investment and interest.

You might be interested in learning more about the concept. Continue reading!

​IoT will benefit top industries, as shown by the following:

Companies are often the first to adopt new technologies. As a result, innovations can not only give you a competitive edge, but they can also have a significant impact on your bottom line.

The proper use of mobile devices using IoT technology can help reduce operating costs, increase efficiency and generate additional revenue through new markets or products.

These IoT examples from major industries prove this point.

​1. Management of the supply and retail chain

This industry was among the first to go “smart”. IoT apps and devices in retail aren’t just for shopping. They can also be used to manage supply chains. Restaurants, hospitality providers, as well as other businesses, have the opportunity to use IoT devices and apps to manage their supply chains and gain valuable insights.

This could give retailers complete control over their supply chain, eliminating the human factor. This will enable business owners to avoid ordering excessively, restrict the use of their privileges by staff members, and better manage logistical and marketing expenses. These benefits result in high retail adoption rates of all IoT products.

​Internet of Things Benefits in Retail and Supply Chain Management:

• Transparency in the supply chain has been improved
• Automated goods check-in and out
• Monitoring goods location and warehouse storage conditions
• Predictive maintenance of equipment
• Stolen goods and inventory management
• Providing better customer service and shopping experience
• Identifying and promptly notifying of any transportation issues;
• Warehouse demand-alert
• Route optimization

​2. Home automation

It is hard to overlook the impact of IoT technology on our homes. Smart appliances, lighting, and security controls, as well as environment controls, make life easier and more comfortable.

Nest is a leader in this field. Nest- one of the popular platforms offer a variety of smart devices including Nest Thermostats, indoor cameras, and alarms that will help you manage your home better.

The thermostat learns your preferences and adjusts the temperature automatically. It will create a comfortable home environment and help you conserve energy. Nest Indoor and Outdoor Cameras, together with smoke and CO alarms, make your home safer.

​Home automation benefits:

• Smart energy management and control
• Central management of all devices at home
• Remote functionality and predictive maintenance of appliances
• Enhanced security and comfort
• Remote control of your home appliances
• Analytics and insights on smart home management

​3. Wearables

Many of the IoT wearable devices that have flooded the market in recent years can be roughly classified under health and fitness. This area of IoT usage is represented by Apple, Jawbone and Misfit wearables.

These devices can monitor your heart rate, calories, sleep, activity, and other metrics that help you stay healthy. These wearables may be able to communicate with third-party apps, and share information about chronic conditions with a healthcare provider.

There are many advanced smart devices that can be used in addition to personal health wearables. These include scales and thermometers, blood pressure monitors, and hair brushes.

Also Read – Your Next Wearable Could be Powered by Sweat: Surprised?

​IoT Wearables Benefits:

• Remote diagnostics and health monitoring
• Advanced personal care options available for patients
• Early detection and prevention of disease are key.
• A data-driven approach to personal and fitness care.

​4. Automotive

Our cars are increasingly connected, thanks to smart sensors and software development teams. Most of these solutions are supplied out of the box by car makers (e.g. Tesla), but there is an alternative to make your car smart.

Although connected and self-driving cars are already a reality, IoT applications in automotive are expanding to other forms of ground transport, such as railway transport.

Also Read – AI in Connected Vehicles: The Massive Revolution in Automotive Industry!

• ​IoT benefits in automotive:

• Streamlining and improving the efficiency of car manufacturing processes
• Remote vehicle monitoring and control
• Smart road infrastructure for drivers
• monitoring drivers’ conditions,
• Smart car insurance
• Car and smartphone integration
• Preventive maintenance of your vehicle.

​5. Agriculture

When it comes to IoT business cases, smart farming is often overlooked. However, there are many products that can be used to help farmers think ahead.

Many smart sensors use a distributed network to monitor natural conditions such as temperature, humidity, and soil quality. Others are used for automating irrigation systems.

Blossom is one such example of an IoT device that offers both. This smart watering system creates the best watering schedule for your yard by using real-time weather data.

The system consists of a smart Bluetooth-powered controller as well as a mobile application. As a result, it is simple to set up, use, and manage. Although the product was initially intended for home use, it can be used on larger scales.

Also Read – Here’s Why The World Is Excited About Introduction Of Tech In Agriculture

​Internet of Things Benefits in Agriculture:

• Monitoring of soil, climate, and crop conditions
• livestock monitoring;
• precision farming;
• Automated watering and fertilization
• Automated detection and elimination of pests
• Automation of greenhouses;
• Higher crop quality and higher yields.

Things to Consider When Selecting an IoT Platform

There are many things that must be taken into consideration and evaluated. When choosing an IoT platform, it is important to consider the following.

Also Read – IoT And Online Dating; A Match Made in Heaven

​1. Vendor/parent company

It is important to ensure that the platform you choose comes from a trustworthy and reliable mobile application development team. Check out similar products and determine if they have a long life expectancy. Consider looking at the customers and clients of the vendor, particularly those who have invested in similar platforms to yours. Trust is an important factor in the IoT platform marketplace. After all, you are trusting a platform to handle your data.

​2. Scalability

Stable systems are scalable. Businesses grow and expand over time. Sometimes, they even pivot. Your IoT platform should be flexible enough to accommodate all of these changes, especially the large amount of data that will come with a company’s growth. Check how far the IoT platform has come since its launch to make the selection process easier. Can it keep up with changing technologies? Are there newer protocols being adopted?

​3. Support for protocols

Is your IoT platform compatible with the communication protocols, data protocols, and device protocols your team is familiar with? If you, as a decision maker, choose a platform that doesn’t support common data formats, then your developers will need to spend some time getting used to the format the platform supports. Choose a platform that meets your needs and not vice versa.

​4. Customer support

It is also important to check if your platform offers the support you need for your application. If you don’t have cloud engineers on your team, you might consider hiring a vendor who provides support in person when setting up your IoT-service platform. Some platforms are only for cloud and software needs. If your application is more hardware-centric than others, you’ll end up doing most of the work.

​5. User-friendliness

Even IoT professionals will need to learn how to use a complex platform. It is not a good idea to spend time learning the platform rather than working on the solution. You must consider how user-friendly the platform is. For example, whether it offers graphs, dashboards, or reports.

The developers of young IoT platforms are likely to be more focused on connectivity and data security than the user interface. Therefore, you can test the demo versions of the platforms that you have shortlisted before you make your final decision. This will allow you to see if they are user-friendly and flexible.

​6. Upgrading and updates

IoT is a mainstream technology, but it can still be considered a new technology. Your company may grow, and your needs might change. Is your IoT platform able to support these updates in your company’s infrastructure? Is it compatible with the latest IoT protocols? Is it able to upgrade your firmware over the air? If so, is it within your budget? These are crucial questions to ask before making any decisions and choosing an IoT platform.

Also Read – IoT Predictions That Will Change The Future

7. Security features

When choosing an IoT platform, it is important to choose one that offers security solutions. Also, make sure to check that the vendor has the most recent security certifications and compliances. You should also inspect the vendor’s privacy laws to see if any encryption protocols are being used.

​8. Pricing model

This is a crucial consideration. Many IoT platforms offer multiple pricing options based on features, much like Gmail offers services to businesses. Some might sneak in additional fees you may not have considered when choosing a platform. IoT platforms may charge by the number of reads or writes. This can make it more expensive as your company grows. You can also check to see if pricing is customizable to your requirements.

​Structure of the IoT system

No matter what industry or use IoT is, the system of physically connected devices that exchange information via the Internet has four components in common.

Software HTML3_ : End-user and embedded applications. The first is used to ensure that IoT devices function properly. It is task-specific and requires a non-user interface. End-user apps are designed to allow users to interact with the system. They can be mobile, web or cross-platform.

Hardware : Any physical device that can connect to the internet, such as sensors, chips and measuring appliances. The hardware selection stage is crucial for an IoT-based system. It must meet the requirements and be compatible with operating applications.

Without the cloud, it would prove difficult to manage the massive amount of data IoT-enabled devices generate every minute.

The IoT network links all devices in the system. There are many connectivity options available, including MQTT, HTTP and LPWAN.

​What features is the IoT app require?

Depending on your industry, goals, and the needs of your users, the set of features you need can vary. Here’s a list of must-haves and desirable features for IoT apps.

Core Features

1. Profile of the user

This is an important feature for Internet of Things systems. Smart apps are all about personalization. To provide the best experience possible, get to know your user. You should ask for personal data, privacy settings, notifications preferences, presence sensing, security and privacy settings. Do not forget to add all smart devices. This feature is also beneficial to your marketing team — once you have a good idea of your audience, it’s possible to send them push notifications and trigger emails.

2. Dashboard

This feature displays all data collected — available parking spots and room temperature, approaching bus stops — depending on your IoT application.

3. Notifications

It allows users to stay informed and receive updates in real-time about any changes. Smart doorbells, for example, use motion sensors to send notifications to users when there is movement around the door.

4. Security Features

You can use app locks such as FaceID and PIN-code to control access and provide secure communication channels for data transmission. Security features are essential when you have sensitive data or personal information.

Additional Must-Have Features

1. Feedback from users

This is the best way for IoT applications to gather customer opinions and identify improvement opportunities. Apps have always had a submission form where users can submit details and attach a picture.

2. Onboarding

It’s essentially a series screen that guides users through the main functions and interface of the app. It is important for positive user experiences.

3. Activity History

This feature displays which devices were on or off, their movements, and the actions taken within the app.

​IoT Development process

Like any technology, IoT is structured in a clear way. So, it’s important to understand it before you start the development stage of IoT apps. Let’s now show you how to create IoT applications in six steps:

• ​Design

IoT apps that are truly great have both a strong back-end and a beautiful front-end. You must remember that IoT software design should always be based on the end-user. This is why you need to partner with a mobile app development company who has the expertise and tools to help you create an engaging and intuitive user experience and bring your IoT ideas to reality.

• ​Prototyping

App prototyping allows you to create a prototype of your final mobile app. This will allow you to answer specific questions, and/or test the app’s UI design. Prototyping a strong solution can be costly, so we recommend that you find a reliable software development company to help you with this step.

• ​Development

Product development is the process of bringing your IoT application from a concept to the market. This is an important step to ensure that your customers are satisfied with your IoT app.

Remember that to stay ahead of any industry, innovation and evolution are essential. Therefore, we recommend that you partner with someone who can provide full-cycle development along with strategic consulting and project management.

• ​Test

You can’t launch your IoT-based mobile platforms if it isn’t perfect. You want people to download and use your app as soon as possible. It should be tested for security using different penetration techniques. A professional team of QA specialists can do all of this for you. They will run your app multiple times to check it for any flaws. To eliminate potential issues, make sure you find a software company with expertise who run manual and automated tests.

• ​Support and maintenance

As important as developing and designing them is maintaining the smooth operation of your IoT software, apps, and networks. It is not enough to just code and then say goodbye. We recommend you find a partner who will continue to support your IoT application through its entire lifecycle, add new features, and extend its functionality for many years. IoT is an evolving domain. You cannot afford to lose this momentum.

​IoT App Development: How IoT App Development is Shaping the Future of IoT?

IoT is a cutting-edge technology. The implications of IoT for industry, health, and everyday life go beyond anything any scientist could have imagined in the 20th century. Many IoT devices are going to be connected via mobile apps. Further, we will show you how to make an IoT app.

Organizations around the globe are increasingly relying on IoT app development. This has led to the rise of smartphones and smart devices. Clients can now access any service via dedicated mobile apps that offer personalized offerings.

• ​Open-Source Software Development

Open-source development will be a major IoT trend in 2023 and beyond. Open-source development has led to more application developers sharing their apps online. In addition, developers will be able to create apps easier by integrating IoT into mobile app frameworks.

Open-source mobile app development has another advantage: it is transparent throughout the entire development process. This makes it easier for developers and companies to work together on high-end mobile applications.

• ​Connectivity

This could become a popular trend. In the IoT age, gadgets won’t be connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular. App developers need to start thinking about how their products can connect to the Internet of Things.

This will require the integration of these apps with a retreat. This idea was introduced by developers because IoT technology is dependent on a unique protocol for connecting. However, this is not the easiest way to make IoT technology a reality.

• ​Improved Hybrid IoT App Development Scopes

Basic native apps are built to run on one platform. This is not ideal for IoT applications. Hybrid apps, on the other hand, have experienced a significant rise in demand because they can function across multiple devices and platforms.

Developers can now use a variety of innovative coding methods because of IoT app development. This has allowed for the development of some of the most popular apps in the world.In addition, IoT allows consumers to access multiple services simultaneously, which is one of its greatest benefits.

This has allowed organizations to quickly and easily access customer data on various platforms and devices. As a result, the Internet of Things is one of the most valuable hybrid systems and applications.

• ​More Interactive Apps, and Easier Customization

IoT will undoubtedly increase the interactivity of apps and make them more usable. This technology has also opened up new flexibility options. Your app can be updated and relevant with IoT capabilities, and other features.

IoT will also create innovative and feature-rich mobile apps that will allow you to stay ahead of the curve. IoT technology can be used to personalize corporate apps. App developers can create apps for their businesses that meet the requirements of connected devices.

• ​Niche Building

IoT app developers should work with product teams to ensure successful assignments. App developers and product teams should collaborate to make app development more efficient.

Devices are often the primary focus, as opposed to application functions. However, to create an app that is both digital and real-world friendly, IoT app developers need to be familiar with the latest technology, especially smart connected devices.

• ​Growing Innovative Companies

The Internet of Things has had an enormous impact on commercial innovation. The Internet of Things has facilitated the growth of innovative businesses. IoT applications are the best way to reap the IoT benefits of organizations.

Businesses are focused on solving the most pressing issues of their clients and creating IoT-based apps that can deliver solutions. This is possible thanks to the vast amounts of data that have been gathered by different organizations. This has allowed for a thorough understanding of companies and helped them target IoT app development.

• ​Location Independence

IoT apps can be used anywhere. The entire system can be operated even if you’re not at your office. This technology allows users to be location-independent. To run an IoT-based mobile app, you need smart devices.

IoT can affect all industries and domains, making it more useful for developing bespoke apps. This technology can be used to meet any industry’s business needs. Custom software can also fully utilize it.

• ​Security Assistance

The IoT context allows us to connect many devices using different operating systems and connection protocols. This raises questions about data security. However, IoT offers more security as their data cannot be misused. Many organizations rely on IoT-based apps to do their work.

To ensure that data collected from connected devices are protected, a new set of security precautions should be implemented. IoT can also protect data storage and app code.

To avoid unnecessary delays, the software is encrypted using hardware encryption. Apps that communicate with network services should therefore be considered for IoT security.

• ​Less Human effort

IoT technology allows connected devices to communicate with each other. As a result, it is possible to add amazing features to apps without having to put effort into IoT app development.

IoT-enabled apps offer a better user experience and more functionality, but require the same amount of effort from app developers.

The Internet of Things (IoT), which can increase brand awareness and lower the cost of creating mobile apps, can be used to improve your brand. This technology allows app developers to integrate many aspects at a low. IoT can save you a lot of money by making apps more user-friendly or offering a platform for innovation.

​Summarising

IoT’s presence is growing at an incredible pace, and it is becoming an integral part of our daily lives. There is no better time than now to take advantage of this opportunity and learn how to create an IoT platform that will allow you to enter the IoT app market. As we have said, building an IoT platform isn’t easy. It requires a solid development strategy, a solid approach and deep knowledge of software and hardware technologies.

Are you still unsure how to create IoT applications? We can help. Techugo offers enterprise IoT solutions that are tailored to your business. Our IoT experts will complete your project on time and within the budget.