MQTT: The Language of IoT
More and more data is being generated every day. The ability to capture, transform, and utilize it is becoming a necessity. This is especially true in industrial environments where there is heavy investment in sensors used for process control. However, one of the main obstacles encountered when using the generated data is the variety of protocols and architectures from different machinery brands. This is why Industrial IoT is gaining so much momentum, as it enables interoperability between machines that otherwise could not communicate without significant financial investment.
What is the common protocol machines use to communicate that makes everything seem so easy?
To send information quickly and securely, M2M (machine-to-machine) communication protocols are used. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) was developed in 1999 by Dr. Andy Stanford-Clark and Arlen Nipper with a clear objective: to collect data and send it quickly and securely across the entire IT infrastructure.
This protocol has become very popular within the IoT world because it uses very little bandwidth, which directly impacts communication speed as well as the use of CPU, RAM, and other resources involved in transforming and sending data between machines.
An MQTT network is based on a hierarchical system of topics, clients subscribed to them, and a broker responsible for managing the information. This broker receives requests for information on the topics to which clients are subscribed and, if they exist, handles the delivery.
Why is MQTT ideal for industry?
Within large production plants, the rapid transmission of information allows for the creation of reliable, bidirectional SCADA systems. This provides the ability not only to view data from outside the HMIs installed on the machines but also to interact with them. This means we can perform advanced analytics processes with the data provided and even take actions based on it, which translates into the ability to create machines that adapt to problems occurring during processes. Furthermore, it features data encryption capabilities.
MQTT is already widely accepted, from major oil and gas companies to smart city applications. Additionally, Amazon Web Services recently announced that its IoT system is based on MQTT, which gives an idea of the robustness of this protocol.
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