Thanks for watching (or reading),
Ok, you’ve decided to add the power of IoT to your products or services. You are looking forward to real-time communication, increased productivity for your team and a bunch of billing flexibility to differentiate your business.
So, let’s get started.
Hold up for a second…..you need to decide if you are going to Build, Buy or Integrate first? Yes, there are three different ways to connect your solution and each have their own pros and cons.
Here is a quick overview:
Build
This is where you decide that you need to build a brand new device for connectivity.
The breakdown:
• Pros - You get the lowest per unit cost, maximum flexibility and a unique device that none of your competitors have
• Cons - It will be a costly venture (in terms of Engineering cost and certifications), there will also be on-going testing/design work and it may take you up to 24 months to get to market
• Ideal for - Those who are familiar with the process of building electronic equipment, have plenty of resources (or are willing to work with a design house) and those doing a lot of units per year (think a minimum of 5000 as a starting point)
Buy
This is where you buy a product that is already certified and ready to go
The breakdown:
• Pros - You get to market quickly, have little (or none) certification costs and can integrate quickly into existing software programs
• Cons - This convenience comes with a cost, as this is the highest price per unit and you also are using a product that your competitors can buy (reducing any advantage)
• Ideal for - Those looking to get to market quickly, those who are not doing a lot of units per year or those who either don’t have the internal expertise (or can’t spare it) to build or Integrate.
Integrate
This is where you add IoT connectivity directly onto your systemboard, usually in the form of a cellular module or an embedded modem.
The breakdown:
• Pros - You don’t have to redesign a brand new product, you get a very low cost per unit for connectivity and it does not take up a lot of space (so can go into most products)
• Cons - Like the build option, this work does require certain expertise, can take much longer to get to market and depending on how long your product is in the field, it may require you to redesign before your product is end of life.