Many businesses rely on IoT (Internet of Things) to scale network connectivity, allowing employees to work more efficiently with increased communications, mobility, and availability. However, a key concern in any IoT system is how to manage wireless connectivity while scaling the IoT system, translating into increases in system complexity and costs. For a large-scale IoT project, a cellular IoT connectivity solution remains the best, most scalable connectivity option to get. Still, whether we can find the right network partner and the right plan, it can be not easy to scale your IoT system while staying at an affordable cost.
So, what should be your key considerations when choosing the right IoT data plan? We’ll discuss the answer below.
1. Speed and Coverage
This one is obvious and the most important concern you should have when choosing between different cellular providers and data plans. Network speed directly impacts the performance of IoT devices and applications, translating to your overall IoT system’s performance. What is the ideal network speed/bandwidth and coverage? The answer will vary depending on the many elements, like your total number of devices/sensors, locations (whether you’ll need an international/global data plan), use cases/applications, and more. For example, international data coverage is another factor to consider if you plan to scale your IoT system outside the US. Truphone, for instance, offers an IoT plan with coverage in 100+ countries.
2. Pricing and Future Scalability/Versatility
Another important factor to consider is, obviously, cost. However, considering only the current pricing fees offered by the network provider might be misleading: you’ll also need to consider a data plan that offers evolving pricing schemes according to your changing needs. For example, as data usage increases and with more connected devices, you’d want a data plan that offers more flexibility and cost-efficiency. When choosing between different data plans, ‘it’s important to consider the balance between current and future needs.
3. Device Management Feature With Built-In Onboarding and Provisioning
As your IoT system grows, managing your devices and connections can be a major headache and potentially costly. A network provider with the proper management tools to manage your devices is very important. Check whether your provider offers an IoT Management Platform (dedicated to IoT) where you can manage and monitor all your devices from a single dashboard, easy onboarding, remote provisioning/configuration, and troubleshooting. A proper management platform is essential so you can optimize your IoT system’s performance, and having all these features in a single, optimized dashboard can help us control the cost of our IoT deployments more effectively.
IoT devices might require other connectivity options. Some legacy devices might only work with 3G or even 2G, while newer devices might support 5G, NB-IoT, Cat-M, and other cellular technology options. Check the types of cellular connectivity supported by the network provider, and consider your current and future needs.
5. Seamless Roaming Across Locations and Networks
When you need to expand your IoT system into additional locations as you grow your business, you’ll need a network provider to ‘follow’ your needs anywhere. Look for an IoT network provider that seamlessly integrates multiple networks to lose service as you move to different locations and regions. To scale your IoT solution, seek a network provider offering global connections and reliable local services.
6. Instant and Seamless Bootstrapping
IoT onboarding or bootstrapping connects brand-new IoT devices/sensors to an existing IoT network. While it might seem simple, adding a device to a network of hundreds, if not thousands, of devices can be a major hassle. Ensure your network provider and data plan support the ability to bootstrap new devices into the IoT system seamlessly and instantly.
7. Security Features and VPN Connectivity
When you have a large, potentially global-scale IoT network, your devices might send and receive large amounts of data between and with your server and database. Cybersecurity is very important for any IoT system, and you must also consider the offered security features when choosing between different IoT data plan providers.
Ensure your network provider offers a secure, multilayer network, fast implementation of VPN and APN, and reliable routing/transport security. The best IoT data plan providers might also provide 24/7 monitoring and customer support/troubleshooting.
8. 24/7 Support By Dedicated Professionals
In DDoS attacks, stolen credentials, and cybersecurity threats, it’s an imp working network provider that supports 24/7 customer service across different locations and time zones. Faster problems and, and threat detection are important in keeping your IoT deployments up and running around the clock while avoiding considerable damage caused by cybercrime threats.
9. Transparent, Predictable Cost With No Hidden Fees
Managing IoT connectivity costs can become very time-consuming in the long run, so choose an IoT data plan provider offering transparent, simple pricing models without hidden fees and unnecessary complexities. As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to quickly calculate the cost of your data plan per device without too much confusion.
10. Future Proof
Ensure your IoT service provider understands the IoT field and its evolution so they can also evolve their infrastructures according to the IoT industry’s demands to help you scale and grow your IoT system. While measuring this can be quite difficult, a good approach is to look at their current infrastructures and offered features and whether they have regularly updated their offers and launched new features in the past.
Check whether their current infrastructure relies on strong security practices according to the current standards and check their approaches with current and incoming technologies. Is your current IoT data plan provider disappointing you as your IoT system scales? Truphone might be the right partner for you whether you are looking to start building your IoT solution or if you want to convert your existing IoT system to a new provider.