An Ultimate Guide On M2M Application Development Platforms

When you think of the future, what comes to mind? Flying cars, droids and machines communicating with each other? In the Pixar animated movie Wall-E, we get all of that with a pinch of fun banter and deep talks. Wall–E and Eve, two different robots, were undoubtedly the highlight of the movie! Similarly, in real life, machines (or devices) can perform actions based on exchanging information with each other without manual assistance. The credit goes to the wonderful technology – M2M Application Development Platforms (M2M ADPs), for turning the far-fetched dream of machine-to-machine communication into a reality.

M2M Application Development Platforms allow machines to interact without any human intervention. For example, cell phone towers can alert maintenance crews if they detect a potential problem and drones that can send each other telemetry data while flying in formation. These real-world M2M applications are built on different protocols and technologies supported by M2M Application Development Platforms. These platforms also simplify machine-to-machine communication to enable wireless devices to communicate directly. Devices that communicate this way are sometimes called smart devices as they can process communications through built-in sensors and microprocessors.

We’re sure you are curious to know more about M2M ADPs! Head to the next section to read all about it!

Disclaimer – You are about to enter the pundangered zone!
 

What Are M2M Application Development Platforms?

 
M2M or machine-to-machine refers to the computing technology that enables connected devices to communicate with one another. Just like we have mobile phones to communicate with each other, machines need M2M Application Development Platforms to enable data transfer and communication with each other. With the help of these platforms, developers gain insights into the collected information, allowing them to develop M2M-capable devices. Additionally, these platforms facilitate users (namely IoT software manufacturers, developers and cellular operators) with an application programming interface (a set of protocols for building and integrating application software).

You can think of the M2M Application Development Platform as an essential member of the M2M service delivery family. Here, CDP (connected device platform) and AEP (application enablement platform) are their elder siblings. CDP tools facilitate the deployment between connected devices while AEP tools streamline the extraction and utilization of machine data. Hence, CDP and AEP tools unify and simplify the management of the smart devices and M2M2 ADP help design how these devices will communicate with each other. 

From the famous droid pair from Star Wars (C3-PO and R2D2) to Lightning McQueen from the Car franchise, droids, machines and cars have come a long way in terms of talking. (We mean, the trailer for Cars 4 is already out!) In the same way, M2M ADPs have also made massive leaps in advancing since their inception.

Let’s check it out!
 

Evolution Of M2M Application Development Platforms

 
True that, Smokey! Now, while we can’t turn back the clock, we can understand the evolution of these platforms through this brief timeline.

Phase 1 – Telemetry (1845 to 1990s)

The history of M2M dates back to 1845, when data transmission system was introduced. It was the most unfiltered form of a wired data transfer. The 1900s stepped in with the invention of two-way radio networks, telephone lines, weather balloons and aerospace telemetry. Later, IBM released its first main-frame computer in 1973 allowing basic communications between computers.

Phase 2 – M2M Systems (the 1990s to 2010)

In 1995, Siemens introduced GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) data connectivity on mobile phones. By 1997, wireless connectivity matured and was implied to vending machines and in the field of telemedicine. Moving ahead, by the 2010s, the evolution of machine-to-machine solutions and platforms reached its prime, paving the way for a digital revolution in M2M applications.

Phase 3 – Internet-of-Things (2010 to Present)

Cloud computing became a standard norm in 2012, which played a huge role in what we today call IoT, AKA Internet-of-Things. In 2013 and 2014, the predecessor of advanced IoT devices – thermostats and home lightning – took the world by surprise. That brings us to the present of M2M applications when IoT technology is much more evolved. The credit goes to technologies such as M2M Application Development Platforms, that enabled seamless connections between smart devices. These platforms created IoT applications and connected a network of physical objects with embedded sensors and technologies.

Today, M2M ADPs are used across industries, infrastructures and applications to handle M2M service delivery and equip developers with practical solutions. That was all about the history; and now, it’s time for a joke.

What part of Smokey (the car) would be the laziest?
-The wheels - because they’re always tired!

Now give your funny bone a rest and head on to understand the process of M2M ADPs.
 

Working Of M2M Application Development Platforms

The M2M Application Development Platform simplifies the utilization of M2M technology in smart devices and smart home applications. Want to know exactly how it works? Read on!

M2M Application Development Platforms tap into sensor data and transmit it to a network. These platforms often use public networks and access methods such as cellular or Ethernet for cost-effectiveness. M2M ADPs also offer cloud-based data integration and application development environments for managing connected devices in real time.

M2M Application Development Platforms then explore sensors, RFID (radio frequency identification), Wi-Fi, cellular communication links and software programs to help a network device interpret data and make decisions. Later, these platforms translate the data, which can trigger pre-programmed, automated actions.

These platforms then use the combination of IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to transform and improve the communication processes and create new opportunities for multiple behaviors based on specific communications.

That was all about the working of these platforms; now, let's take a look at their applications. No, we won’t be covering how C3PO and R2-D2 communicated despite language differences!
 

Applications Of M2M Application Development Platforms

Things might get a bit technical ahead; so why not start with some puns?

What would you name a pirated droid?

ArrrrrR2-D2.
 
M2M Application Development Platforms are often used by utility companies harvesting energy, namely oil and gas, to detect worksite factors such as pressure, temperature and equipment status. These platforms enable companies to build seamless M2M applications in the form of smart meters, which are used to bill customers and notify other connected devices in case of any failure.

Another application of these platforms is in the field of telemedicine. With the help of these platforms, M2M devices help healthcare staff with real-time monitoring of patients’ vital statistics, dispensing medicine, or tracking healthcare assets.

Here come mobile payments that have made our lives super easy. The seamless integration of IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have transformed and improved the mobile payment process. Digital wallets, such as Google Wallet and Apple Pay, have adopted M2M applications for seamless M2M communication between servers and end-point devices to improve user experience.

M2M Application Development Platforms also play a vital role in smart home systems that incorporate M2M technology and IoT. Utilizing these platforms in embedded systems enables home appliances and other devices to operate and communicate remotely in real time.

These platforms are also helpful in fields such as robotics, traffic control, security logistics and so on. Any application that needs to transfer information to another device can utilize M2M ADPs. Pretty crucial information there, right?

Now, we’re about to delve into the future of these platforms!
 

Future Of M2M Application Development Platforms

A thing or two about the future of M2M Application Development Platforms.

When it comes to the industrial sector, M2M will be a guiding design metric for all apps that have users tapping, typing and texting. Besides, in the future, M2M and IoT will continue to innovate and upgrade which would mean better M2M capabilities. You can also expect the integration of M2M Application Development Platforms with the standard IoT model. It will eventually make IoT systems more versatile and independent of human actions. No, we promise it won’t turn into another Skynet situation!

You can also expect M2M technologies to get smarter and more automated, allowing machines to get more efficient in communicating and inter-operating to finish tasks faster. Sensor fusion will be another breakthrough in this arena and will enable industries to spot product defects, communicate it in real-time and remediate it via automated bots. It will help industries cater to specific requirements, such as keeping track of inventory and managing facility-controlled environments in an automated way without any human intervention.
 

It's A Wrap!

M2M (machine-to-machine) communication is all set to majorly impact our lives in the coming years. Many examples of M2M solutions are already being used today, such as innovative grid technology and vehicle telematics services. However, these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to machine-to-machine communication. M2M Application Development Platforms are the heroes in this scenario!

With the rise of low-cost wireless connections and embedded sensors that are connected online via the cloud, we will see an explosion of different M2M Application Development Platforms for specific industries. It's not just limited to cars and telematics anymore – there is an enormous potential for M2M anywhere devices need to communicate with each other wirelessly. With that, our work here is done!