{"id":10690,"date":"2024-02-25T15:56:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-25T20:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=10690"},"modified":"2024-02-25T15:56:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-25T20:56:59","slug":"iot-cloud-fundamentals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/iot-cloud-fundamentals\/","title":{"rendered":"Arduino Iot Cloud 2024 – Fundamentals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Download \"Parts \"View<\/a><\/p>\n

The Arduino IoT Cloud is one of the easiest ways for hobbyists to create projects for the Internet of Things. We have used it many times in the DroneBot Workshop, and during that time, the product has evolved considerably.\u00a0 In fact, it now has an entirely new user interface.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So today, we are heading back into the cloud to see what’s new with the Arduino IoT Cloud for 2024!<\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Arduino IoT Cloud, a platform designed to simplify the development of IoT applications, has recently introduced a host of new features. These updates include improved device management options, enhanced security measures, and expanded compatibility with a broader range of hardware well beyond the Arduino and ESP32 boards that were initially supported.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Today, we will look at the state of the Cloud at the beginning of 2024.\u00a0 We\u2019ll check out the new dashboard, examine the new features, and, of course, build a few cloud apps ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arduino IoT Cloud<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Arduino IoT Cloud was launched in beta in late 2018 and was officially released in February 2019. With its release, electronics experimenters, students, and makers gained access to a powerful platform that simplified building IoT applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building IoT applications with the Arduino IoT Cloud is pretty easy; in some cases, you don\u2019t even need to be proficient at coding, as the IoT Cloud can autogenerate sketches for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

You will, however, need to understand the fundamentals of how an IoT Cloud project is structured.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go over that now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Devices<\/span><\/h3>\n

Devices in the Arduino IoT Cloud refer to \u201cvirtual twins\u201d of the physical hardware components, such as microcontrollers and sensors, connected to the cloud platform to collect and exchange data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every Device you wish to use will need to be added to the cloud. This is a simple procedure, and Arduino has a wizard that walks you through the process. During this procedure, you will be given the opportunity to change the name of your device. <\/span>You\u2019ll also get a set of public and private security keys, which you will need to keep in a safe place<\/b> as they are needed in the \u201cThings\u201d process, which will be described in a moment.\u00a0 You can copy these keys to your clipboard or download a PDF document containing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to install the Create Agent on your computer to allow access to your device; you\u2019ll also need the agent to allow you to program your boards with a direct connection. The agent is a simple application available for Windows, Linux, and macOS.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have it installed, you\u2019ll be prompted to do so when you try to add a device.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many microcontroller and microcomputer boards that you can use as \u201cDevices\u201d on the Arduino IoT Cloud.\u00a0 Arduino is constantly adding new devices to the list, which you will find on their <\/span>IoT Cloud Compatible Boards<\/span><\/a> page.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also add just about any device that works with Python or JavaScript.\u00a0 And you can connect to Internet APIs as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things<\/span><\/h3>\n

No, these are NOT the same \u201cThings\u201d Dr. Seuss wrote about in the \u201cCat in the Hat\u201d! And while these \u201cThings\u201d can\u2019t sing like the cartoon ones, they are actually much more useful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThings” are the virtual representation of connected devices and their associated data. You can think of them as a glue that binds your devices to the Dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

You need to associate a Device with a Thing. You will also need to provide your Wi-Fi network login credentials, and it is during this procedure that you\u2019ll need to use the Private Key that you (hopefully) saved when you created your Device.<\/span><\/p>\n

After that, you can add \u201cCloud Variables\u201d to your Thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud Variables<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cloud Variables<\/span><\/a> are variables that exist within the Arduino IoT Cloud. They are configured within your \u201cThing\u201d and used in your sketches and the Dashboard you can build to monitor and control your project.<\/span><\/p>\n

As with \u201cregular\u201d variables, there are many different types of cloud variables. You can choose from conventional types like <\/span>booleans<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>integers<\/span><\/i> or use one of the exclusive cloud variable types like<\/span> temperature<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you create a Cloud Variable, the IoT Cloud automatically writes all the code required to accommodate it. All you will need to do is use the variable in your code.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud Variables can be read\/write or read-only. They can be updated periodically, or they can be updated whenever they change value.<\/span><\/p>\n

In your \u201cThing,\u201d you can add as many Cloud Variables as your project requires. You can also monitor the current value of the variables.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dashboards<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Dashboard is your control center for your cloud applications. You can use dashboards with a web browser or the Arduino IoT Cloud Mobile App.<\/span><\/p>\n

A dashboard does not need to be associated with a specific Thing or Device. Instead, you can combine data from various sources into one dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Dashboard is composed of various \u201cwidgets.\u201d\u00a0 A widget is a dashboard control or monitoring item, such as a gauge or push button. Each widget is associated with one (or sometimes more than one) cloud variable, and variables and widgets are updated concurrently.<\/span><\/p>\n

A web and mobile version will be created when you build a dashboard. You can edit each of them independently so that you can arrange the widgets in a manner you find most useful.\u00a0 The mobile version is displayed in the Arduino IoT Remote App, available on <\/span>Google Play<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Apple App Store<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Triggers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Triggers are a relatively new function in the Arduino IoT Cloud. They are powerful and very easy to use.<\/span><\/p>\n

A trigger can be fired with a cloud variable. Only boolean and string variables are currently supported.\u00a0 When the cloud variable matches a preset value, the trigger is fired.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can use triggers to send the following types of messages:<\/span><\/p>\n