IoT Server
Internet of Things server to provide actuator and sensor functionalities to clients
November 2023 - December 2023
In the course CPEN 221, I was tasked with implementing an Internet of Things (IoT) server. Hence, I designed a system comprising actuators and sensors (referred to as entities). These entities seamlessly communicated with a centralized server (called the Message Handler), creating a dynamic and interconnected IoT environment. Each entity, assigned to a specific client, transmitted events or data to the server.
Client Control and Interaction
Clients were given a range of control options over their entities. They could toggle actuators, momentarily halt data transmission from any entity, predict the next N events (N being some inputted number), and apply data filters. These controls allowed clients to customize their IoT experience, ensuring that data flow and device behavior aligned with their specific requirements.
Technical Insights
This project served as a rich learning experience, providing insights into critical aspects of software development and IoT technologies. Key takeaways include knowledge in server implementation, proficiency in message passing and network programming, handling of concurrency challenges, ensuring safety in concurrent programming, and the implementation of multi-threading techniques to optimize system performance.
In particular, I learned the importance of unit-testing and integration-testing. These methods saved me a lot of time debugging the server and ensurred seamless client-server connection.
Application
The hands-on experience garnered from this project not only bolstered my technical skills but also equipped me with the practical skills needed to manage and optimize distributed IoT environments. This provided a solid foundation for tackling the intricacies and challenges of real-world IoT applications and emphasized the importance of debugging especially with concurrent programs.
