87206 - Internet of Things T

Learning outcomes

The student will be capable of identifying relevant and business-oriented applications of the IoT, the enabling wireless technologies and platforms, and predict network performance. Ten hours of team working will constitute a conceptual lab where ideas will be shared, compared and assessed under the supervision of the instructor.

Course contents

The syllabus is reported below. More info on the approach to the course can be found on www.robertoverdone.org.

Part I - Introduction (3 hours)

INT.1 IoT: Definition

INT.2 IoT: A Communication Perspective

INT.3 IoT: Application Domains

INT.4 IoT: General Framework

INT.5 The Course

Part II - Fundamental Tools (12 hours)

NFU.1 Fundamentals of Wireless Communications

NFU.2 Fundamentals of Wireless Networks

NMA.1 Fundamentals of Wireless Controlled and Random MAC

NMA.2 Aloha and S-Aloha in Compact Networks

NMA.3 CSMA in Compact Networks

NMA.4 CSMA in Sparse Networks: Hidden and Exposed Node Problem

RNA.1 Radio Network Architectures

EWT.1 Short Range Systems: 802.15.4 and Zigbee

EWT.2 Long Range Systems: LoRa and LoRaWAN

EWT.3 Long Range Systems: NB-IOT

EWT.4 5G

Part III - Making the IoT (3 hours)

APP.1 Smart Agriculture

APP.2 Smart Cities

APP.3 Smart Manufacturing

Part IV - Lab (12 hours)

LHO.1 Hands-on sessions with LoRaWAN

LHO.2 Hands-on sessions with NB-IOT

LHO.3 Hands-on sessions with 5G

LIC.1 Team Working: Identify Your Application (INVENT)

LIC.2 Team Working: Identify Your Wireless Technology and the HW/FW Platform (CONCEIVE)

LDA.1 Team Working: Design Your Network (DESIGN)

LDA.2 Team Working: Assess Your Network (ASSESS)

LPD.1 Present Your Idea

Readings/Bibliography

Slidesets made available by the instructor.

Teaching methods

art I and Part II: traditional frontal lectures, with theoretical approaches accompanied by numerical exercises.

Part III: interactive discussions in classroom - description and discussion of use cases, and presentation of enabling technologies, with additional material provided as homework.

Part IV: active learning in groups at home - students will be grouped in teams of three people, each of them developing an IoT project under the supervision of the instructor.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of two parts: a written exam and a discussion of the outcomes of the group work.

The written exam (max 30 min) will consist of some numerical exercises, based on the contents of Part I, II and III of the course.

For the discussion the students will provide a five-minute pitch; the pitch will describe the problem addressed (INVENT), the solution envisaged (CONCEIVE), the technologies identified (DESIGN), and will discuss the scalability of the solution (ASSESS). Immediately afterwards, the oral discussion will be related to all aspects analysed by the group to assess the scalability of the idea, and to the hands-on session outcome.

The two parts will be made on the same date.

During the course, at the end of Part III, an intermediate exam will be proposed to students, replacing (if successful) the final written exam. Students passing the intermediate exam will be allowed to give the oral (discussion) by the end of the exam session following the end of the course.

The outcome of the exam is pass or fail.

Teaching tools

Material provided by the instructor: slidesets, links, templates, datasets.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Verdone