Microprocessors and Microcontrollers in IoT

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Internet of Things (IoT) is being widely used in several areas, starting from smart home appliances to smart wearables and industrial automation or control systems. So, it is a very obvious question that what is powering these smart devices and appliances. The answer to this question is two key electronic components namely, microprocessor and microcontroller.

This chapter will provide a basic overview of IoT and how microprocessors and microcontrollers play a crucial role in powering the IoT. We will highlight the usage of microprocessors and microcontrollers in IoT systems.

What is IoT?

IoT stands for Internet of Things. It is nothing but an integrated network of various devices (say Things) which are embedded with electronic devices and software to store and transfer data using internet. Examples of these devices could be smart watches, smart home appliances, or robotic cars.

An IoT device must contain a computing unit to store, interpret, and process data, and hence to control actions. This computing unit is nothing but a microprocessor or microcontroller.

What is a Microprocessor?

As already defined in previous chapters of this tutorial, a microprocessor is an electronic device that contains processing unit to perform arithmetic, logic, and control operations.

A microprocessor acts as a central processing unit in any IoT device or system.

Listed below are some of key features of a typical microprocessor −

• It can process huge amounts of data and hence have high processing power and capabilities.
• It can run different kinds of applications and utility software.
• A microprocessor requires external storage and I/O devices.

A very popular and common example of an IoT device that makes use of a microprocessor is Raspberry Pi which is used for applications like video processing, networking, running AI algorithms, etc.

What is a Microcontroller?

A microcontroller is nothing but a microprocessor-based device which contains the CPU, memory, and I/O devices in a single unit. Microcontrollers are devices specially designed to perform a specific task in an embedded system.

Some of the important features/characteristics of microcontrollers are listed here −

• It is designed to consume low power.
• It can perform tasks in real-time.
• It has simple construction.
• It is a cost-effective solution for specific tasks.
• It is generally designed to accomplish a single task.

Arduino is a very popular example of microcontroller used in simple applications like LED light control, reading simple sensor data, implementing Wi-Fi module in a smart home appliance.

Microprocessors and Microcontrollers in IoT

Microprocessor is a single integrated chip containing arithmetic and logic unit, while a microcontroller is a compact computing device contains a microprocessor, memory, and I/O peripherals on a single chip. Both the components act as the brain behind the operation of IoT devices, however, they are different from each other as described in the table below −

Functions of Microprocessors in IoT

Microprocessors are specially used in IoT devices including edge devices and gateways, as they provide higher processing power. Some of the major functions that microprocessors perform are as follows −

• Execute complex AI and ML algorithms
• Handle and process huge amount of data from different sources
• Establish secure connection between user devices and cloud servers

Functions of Microcontrollers in IoT

Microcontrollers are mainly used in small and energy-constrained IoT devices. These are mainly used in those devices which are designed to perform moderate tasks.

Some of the key functions that microcontrollers perform in IoT are listed here −

• Collect and process data from different types of sensors like temperature, motion, humidity, etc.
• Control the functionality of devices like lights, electric motors, etc.
• Transmit data to a cloud server.

How to Select between Microprocessor and Microcontroller for IoT?

We can consider various factors while selecting between microprocessor and microcontroller for a specific IoT application. Some of the key factors are provided below −

We will use a microprocessor in our IoT applications, if −

• We require higher processing power, performance, and multitasking capability.
• We have to run an operating system on the IoT device.
• The IoT device design to handle multimedia or huge volume of data.

On the other hand, we will select a microcontroller for the IoT application, if −

• We require lower power consumption.
• The IoT device designed to handle simple tasks.
• Simplicity and cost are priority.

Popular Microprocessors and Microcontrollers Used in IoT

The following table highlights some of the popular microprocessors and microcontrollers that are widely used in IoT systems −

Conclusion

In this chapter, we covered the fundamental concepts of microprocessors and microcontrollers in IoT. The information provided in this chapter will be very helpful for engineers and developers in selecting the right device for their specific applications.