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NETWORKING: PACKET TRACER - IoT

In simple terms the IoT is a connection of : 

networked sensors, actuators, and smart devices that collect and share data.  

Packet Tracer 7 contains many new features to support the IoT. 

This includes the addition of IoT devices that can be configured to react to certain environmental values such as sun, wind, rain, and humidity. These devices can be configured to take actions based on the changing environmental values, such as turning on lights or closing garage doors. 

The next parts of learning will include instructions to locate the IoT devices, to connect them to your network, to configure and modify scripts to make them function, and to control these devices remotely. Packet Tracer provides everything you need to create simulated smart homes, smart cities, and smart factories.


CONFIGURE IoT DEVICES USING PACKET TRACER

Packet Tracer has a wide variety of sensors and smart devices that will allow you to design smart homes, smart cities, smart factories, and smart power grids.

To locate the available sensors and smart devices, select End Devices from the Device Selection box at the lower left-hand side of the screen. Next select one of the subcategories such as Home. In the Home subcategory, you will see many IoT devices such as an air conditioner, ceiling fan, coffee maker, and CO detector. These devices can be connected to your network wirelessly or with a physical cable.

To connect the devices to your network, you need a device, such as a home gateway or registration server. To find a home gateway, select Network Devices from the Device Selection box and then select Wireless Devices from the subcategories.

To control the devices, you have two options:

1. You can interact directly with a device. Hold down the Alt key and at the same time click on the device to turn it on or off.

2. You can connect remotely over the network. Using a remote PC, tablet or smart phone, you can use a web browser to connect to the home gateway or registration server. From here, you can turn the devices on or off using the features of the home gateway or registration server.


To configure devices, click on the device to open it. Once opened, you have a multiple tabs to select:

• Specifications – describes the features, usage, local and remote control of the device

• Physical – available modules and power connections

• Config – shows display name, serial number, network configuration, and IoT server

• Attributes – display the device attributes such as MTBF, power consumption, and cost

To configuration the home gateway, you click on the device. Within the device you have multiple tabs to select.

• Physical – available modules, and power

• Config – shows display name, interfaces (Internet, LAN, and wireless) to be configured

• GUI – shows services to be turned on/off

• Attributes – shows features and values related to device such as: mean time between failure (MTBF), cost, power sources, and wattage

Click Play in the video to learn about locating, connecting, and configuring IoT devices in Packet Tracer.


PACKET TRACER  - ADD IoT DEVICES TO A SMART HOME

In this activity you will open a Packet Tracer file with an existing home network, explore the devices on the network and then add additional wired and wireless IoT devices.

Exercise 1: adding IoT Devices to a smart home instructions


Connecting and Monitoring IoT Devices Using a Home Gateway.

The Home Gateway device acts as a local connection to your IoT smart devices. This device was designed to provide Internet access, wireless connectivity, and local logic for smart devices. The Home Gateway device provides an IoT registration service that is always turned on and an auto discovery service for Things in the local Ethernet and wireless network. Once connected to the home gateway, the user can control and monitor the smart devices from their smartphone, tablet, or PC.

Once a home gateway device has been added to the logical workspace, click on the device. You will see the following:

• Physical tab – the device has an Internet port, four LAN ports, and multiple antennae

• Config tab – this shows the interfaces and network settings that are configurable

• GUI tab – this shows the registration server inside the device that allows for interaction with IoT devices. It is on by default but can be turned off.

• Attributes tab – This is blank by default but can show features and values such as MTBF, cost, power source, and wattage.

After connecting the home gateway to an existing network, select the Config tab. The internet and the wireless interfaces should obtain IP addressing information from the network.

To connect an IoT device, such as a fan, wirelessly, click on the fan and select the Config tab. The simple config tab appears. Select the Advanced button in the lower right hand corner to view more options.

To configure and register the fan with the home gateway:

• Select I/O Config and then select wireless adapter from the network adaptors dropdown list.

• Select Config to verify that the fan has established a wireless connection to the correct SSID. This can also be done visually by viewing the fan in the workspace.

• Select Config/Settings and select the home gateway as the IoT server registration device.

To control the fan remotely:

• Add a tablet, PC, or smart phone to the workspace and connect it to the home gateway. Click on the remote device and select Desktop/IPConfig to verify connectivity.

• Return to the desktop and select the web browser. Use the default gateway address from the remote device as the URL. This is the address of the home gateway. Once into the home gateway, you should see the registered fan and be able to modify its settings.

Click Play in the video to learn about creating and controlling a small IoT home network using a home gateway.


Packet Tracer - Connect Devices to a Home Gateway and Monitor.

In this activity you will add a Home Gateway and several IoT devices to an existing home network and monitor those devices through the Home Gateway.


Registering Devices to a Dedicated Registration Server.

IoT devices can also be registered to a dedicated Registration Server for remote monitoring, configuration, or programming. The dedicated registration server has the benefit of being able to provide many other services to your network, such as Web, DHCP, DNS, email, and FTP.

With a dedicated server, IoT devices would first be connected to a wireless network and would then be configured to register to the server.

To connect and configure the registration server:

• Connect the server to your network using a wired or wireless connection.

• Click on the server and select Desktop/IP configuration. Ensure that DHCP has been turned on and then verify that the server is obtaining an IP addresse.

• Select Services/IoT and turn the Registration Server on.

To configure a remote device to interact with the registration server:

• Connect a remote device such as a tablet, PC, or smart phone to the wireless network.

• Click on the remote device and select Desktop/Web Browser. Use the IP address of the registration server as the URL.

• The first time you access the server, you will have to create a user login. Subsequent visits will require you to login using the login credentials. For security reasons, it is important to protect your IoT devices by using strong passwords on your server.

To register IoT devices with the Dedicated Server:

• Click on each device and select the Config tab.

• Select the remote server option under IoT server and supply the IP address of the server, plus the login information.

• Use the remote device to verify the presence of the registered IoT devices.

Click Play in the video to learn about creating and controlling a small IoT home network using a dedicated registration server.



Packet Tracer - Connect and Control Devices using a Registration Server.



Accessing and Monitoring Smart Devices

Introduction: Packet Tracer Environment Controls

In the Physical Workspace there are containers. Each container, the intercity, city, buildings, and wiring closets, all have their own set of environmental values. There are 24 default environmental elements, such as temperature, rain, water level, wind speed, and snow. Many devices or Things affect or respond to the environment in some way. A Fire Sprinkler will raise the water level and humidity in a container. An old car will increase various gases and ambient temperature when turned on. A smoke detector can be used to trigger an alarm when the smoke in environment increases to a certain point.

If there are no devices configured to affect the environment, their values are looped on a 24-hour cycle. For example, the sun will come up at 6am and set at 6pm. The ambient temperature will peak at 25°C at noon. This cycle is set on the intercity level and its ambient temperature range will propagate all the way down to the main wiring closet automatically. If a heater is added to the Corporate Office and turned on, the temperature inside the Corporate Office will increase along with all the containers within it.

Note however, the heater does not heat up the parent container, Home City, it will only heat up the child containers.

When the heater is turned off, the Corporate Office will eventually converge to the parent container's ambient temperature, Home City, based on its transference value. Different containers may have different levels of insulation and thus different transference values; the transference values determine the rate that the child container converges with the parent container and works the same way for all environment types.

Click Play in the video to see the environmental elements available, how they work and how to modify them.


Configuring the Environment using Containers

Important terms and concepts:

• Current time – time inside a container that increments by 30 minute increments. Every 1 second in real time equates to 30 minutes in “Container” time. The timer goes from 0 (midnight) to 11:59. (Figure 1)

• KeyFrame – represents a single moment in time

• KeyFrame graph – A graph that shows the value of environmental elements at any given point in time throughout the day. (Figure 2)

• Transference - values that determine the rate that the child container converges with the parent container and works the same way for all environment types.

To modify environmental elements within a container:

1. Select Environmental from the top right hand corner of the Physical view.

2. Select the appropriate container location.

3. Modify the time, if required.

4. Select Environmental Values/Edit – a keyframe graph will appear.

5. Select the Advanced tab and modify the required environmental conditions using the dropdown boxes as required.

Note: Remember to hit enter after modifying a value to add that value. (Figure 3)

6. The modified values will be reflected immediately in the keyframe graph.

7. You can also manipulate the graph by dragging the timeline to modify the time and value of a particular environmental value.


Modify and Monitor Environmental Controls in Packet Tracer.



Creating and Connecting a Thing.

Before attempting to create a new Thing, you need to decide what the Thing will do, how it will connect to the network, and how it will work. You need to find graphics to represent the states of your new Thing. Usually you will need two graphics, one to represent the beginning or default state and another to represent the end state. You also need to identify an existing Thing that functions in a similar manner as the new Thing. The existing script can then be modified to create the new script.

Clicking on any IoT device that is in the workspace will reveal the specifications about that device. The specifications include:

• Features – how the device works or what it does. Devices can generate high and low values based on a button being pushed or toggled on and off or they can detect certain environmental values (eg. Smoke or sunlight)

• Usage – Things may connect to other IoT devices in order to receive LOW or HIGH inputs or it may read the variable set in the Environment object

• Direct Control – shows you what keystrokes will allow you to physically interact with the Thing

• Local and Remote Control – shows how to control the Thing locally or remotely (if applicable)

• Data Specifications – how the values are produced or the port/slot used to connect to the sensor

• Example – Describes an example of how it works

To create the new Thing:

1. Click the Advanced tab/Thing Editor from within the existing object specifications page.

2. Associate the new graphics to their respective states by clicking on a state and browsing to the location of the graphic on your local device. The images will be saved automatically.

3. Click on the Config tab to select the network adaptor to be used to connect to the network (if applicable).

To save the new Thing:

1. Select Tools/Custom Device Dialog from the uppermost toolbar.

2. Within the Device Template Manager.

a. Click on Select and click on the Thing to be saved.

b. Modify the template and description as appropriate.

c. Click on the type of new Thing.

d. Click on Add – the new template will be saved in the PT template file on the local disk and the customized Thing will now display with the other sensors.

NOTE: This local version of Packet Tracer, with the new Thing, can be sent to another user as long as the user also has the new template on their local disk.

Click Play in the video to see how to create, modify, and save a new Thing.


 Create Your Own Thing.


The Programming Environment.

To be able to provide true IoT solutions, it is critical to have programming knowledge. Packet Tracer provides support for JavaScript, Python, and Visual Blocky.

To enter the programming environment.

1. Open an IoT device and click on the Advanced button.

2. Select the Programming tab.

Once in the Programming area, you can program a new script or copy an existing script from another Thing.

To modify an existing script to use for a new Thing:

1. Select the script in the panel to the left and select Open. (Figure 1)

2. The selected programming script will appear in the right hand panel and may be edited as appropriate. You can use the editing buttons (Figure 2) to make the script modification easier.

3. Once finished any required modifications, simply close the Programming tab and the changes will be saved.

It is also possible to completely delete the old script and program your Thing from scratch.


Reviewing and Modifying Scripts.

Packet Tracer provides a large number of devices that can be modified to create new Things. It is often easier to modify an existing object that has similar functionality to the Thing being created than it is to program an entirely new Thing.

Click Play in the video to see how to program a new Thing.


Modify existing script for an IoT Thing.








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