Building Connected Home Scenarios (IoT) Using Computers

Abstract

The construction of scenarios showing the operation of real communication networks is useful not only for industry but also for academia. The fast development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its use in the most diverse human – computer interaction activities have motivated universities all over the world to organize courses in order to train and make students familiar with the use of this technology. The use of tools that simulate IoT networks functioning is crucial to facilitate the teaching and training of future engineers in this area. This contribution shows two scenarios which have been used in a seminar of IoT for undergraduate students of Computer Engineering at the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid and Computer Engineering and Telecommunications at the Universidad Anáhuac México Norte in Mexico, both related to the application of IoT to create smart building. One scenario is the design and simulation of the networks of a smart building; the second one is the use of an Arduino board to create a small and simple IoT system connected to the cloud. The software used in the simulation was Cisco Packet Tracer, a multiplatform tool from Cisco System Inc. that allows the “construction” of networks without using hardware and/or physical network. The board used to develop a real IoT system was the Arduino Nano 33 IoT connected by Internet to Arduino IoT Cloud via wireless network. The scenarios presented were successfully used with undergraduate students in both universities.