4
IoT environment Simulations
Below chapters are focusing on the core exercise shared with the students, giving first a
general introduction of the simulations and an overview of Cisco Packet Tracer tool.
In the second part of the chapter the four IoT automations are analyzed in more details
giving more technical explanation on the network and IoT aspect of the exercise, also
giving few suggestion for future expansion.
Purpose of the explanations are to guide the reader to fully understand the background
of the IoT simulations and also use this document as quick reference guide when prac-
tically working on the Cisco Packet Tracer exercises.
4.1 Exercises Introduction
This chapter includes and analysis of the four IoT simulations discussed with the stu-
dents in the practical classes. These were used as a starting point to learn how to utilize
IoT functionalities in Cisco Packet Tracer. For the groups where their own business case
was not directly achievable with the tool it was requested to modify one of the four sim-
ulations in order to practice with IoT components.
Every exercise consisted of a pre-defined physical layer separation, a fully connected
and configured network where IoT components can be connected, few examples of IoT
Smart devices and a backend logic to show how these devices could interact automati-
cally. For each case there was also one example of sensor-to-actuator logic using a
microcontroller board and custom Blockly program.
All the examples came with a dedicated documentation showing the network layout, net-
work details (Appendix 2), overview of the infrastructure, Blockly program logic (Appen-
dix 1) and some future ideas how to expand the simulations. Documentation was distrib-
uted to the students along with the Cisco Packet Tracer exercises.
The four examples were called: Smart-Home 1, Smart-Home 2 (SaaS), Smart-Campus
and Smart-Industrial. The first two simulated an IoT automated house where the IoT
components were connected to a local WLAN network and where smart devices were
interacting with each other. The difference between the two home examples was that in
the first case the IoT backend functionalities were hosted within the home LAN. In the
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second case the devices were only having a connectivity layer inside the house LAN,
but the IoT server components were hosted in a third-party network, simulating a pro-
vider cloud Software-as-a-Service scenario.
Both of the cases included a remote network, in the form of a corporate office network
or a mobile 4G network, where home owner could connect to in order to monitor the IoT
activities in the house.
The third simulation was about an interconnected university campus network where IoT
smart devices were connected. Along with the two basic networks, classrooms and
apartments, a third network was connecting all the IoT devices and the backend IoT
servers. Through a user authorization mechanism from any point of the network it was
possible to access the IoT devices and monitor their status.
The last case represented a more complex industrial environment where five networks
were connected. Two of networks were connecting the IoT devices, via a switch or a
dedicated 3G network, for an electricity production. The electricity was then consumed
by a third network of IoT devices used in a production line. The remaining two networks
were utilized to simulate a corporate office remote area and a more important control
room, where backend IoT server was located and where users could connect to control
the IoT devices.
In order to be able to interact with the four simulations some basic knowledge of Cisco
Packet Tracer were required, due to the fact that IoT simulations were not only exploring
the basic network components the students needed to be familiar with concepts such as
physical containers, environmental variables, IoT backend servers and IoT component
programming. The following chapter covers the basic non-networking components con-
cepts, a deeper practical explanation was given to the students during the two practical
classes.
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