Is Your Internet of Things Fully Online?

If “green” was the most overused word of the 2010s, for the 2020s, surely it’s “smart.” Smartphones, smartwatches, smart homes, smart clothing, smart appliances, smart shampoo…. We made up that last one, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see it sometime. Collectively, they make up the Internet of Things (IoT) — devices connected via networks that aren’t just a browser or other apps.

We created these smart devices because they make life easier. We can sit on the couch and dim the lights with our phone to start a movie, of course, but we can also make sure our doors are still locked when we’re away. These "things" have become essential to our lives, and when they aren’t working, it’s inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst.

All these different things have one central feature in common: they are accessed and controlled through mobile devices, mostly our phones. And because they play such a central role in life, mobile operators are facing increased pressure to ensure there are no interruptions or lags in IoT communications.

Mobile Visibility

Mobile operators are accustomed to making connections like 5G available to devices, but simply having connectivity isn’t enough. Only by testing can they understand how smart devices operate under different conditions like transport mediums, infrastructure variations, and backend services. Occasional spot checks aren’t enough to ensure the user experience is where it needs to be. You need to know how far conditions can be pushed and where bottlenecks are likely to happen using real-world data. There are several key types of testing:

• Functionality: Each user, device, and operating system is different, so the first step is ensuring that the product works at the most basic level.
• Reliability: Beyond the user/device level, a test environment needs to be developed that allows you to see it functioning as part of a larger system.
• Security: With potentially millions of users and large amounts of data created and accessed, data privacy and authentication practices need to be validated. 

Because connected things produce an enormous amount of telemetry data, the sheer volume of info can hamper efforts to test network functionality. Your IoT testing strategy should include the ability to narrow down the data generated, filtering out useless information. You should also take these needs into account when developing your IoT plan.

• Universal applicability: Every network is unique, and with the growing complexity inherent in IT today, you need to be able to test traffic on every kind of network and device, including on-premises and cloud-based architecture. It should also integrate with the testing solutions you already have in place.
• Actionable insights: Information is only useful when it’s something that you can act on, and in particular, you should be able to present findings to non-technical management to inform business strategy. Your IoT testing strategy needs to deliver a simple, customizable dashboard with flexible report options.
• DevOps support: You should work to ensure the best business outcomes before launching a new app or service by integrating rigorous testing early in the development stage. 
• Realistic testing: Each user represents a unique combination of factors, including geographic location, network configuration, and devices. Your testing should support the full degree of complexity that the real world will present, with highly customizable scripting options.
• Scalability: Sometimes pre-launch testing shows you have a viable solution, but when it’s scaled to thousands of users or more, unexpected flaws are revealed at the worst time. You should have highly scalable testing options that can script real-world user journeys for a more authentic picture of what to expect upon launch.
• Automation: Testing that can be done without custom coding frees up your development teams so they can work on more innovative products. You should be able to set up your testing parameters and checks and allow the testing to run with minimal human interaction.

It is critical to utilize solutions and tools that help solve the complex digital performance challenges we face today. IoT testing can ensure a seamless user experience, anticipating bottlenecks and performance issues before they occur.