IoT Hub with Temboo

Temboo allows to connect the hardware to many services in the cloud. Each service is managed by a chroreo, which acts as a hub. 

The Temboo library comes packed with the Arduino and Energia IDEs, and supports many more platforms.

For the weather station example, I've followed the example Save LaunchPad data to a Google Spreadsheet. This example uses the Google Spreadsheets AppendRow choreo and a data sheet on Google Docs.b

Configure

Although Temboo provides step-by-step tutorials specific to each connected service and hardware supported, the configuration includes 11 steps.

  1. Create a Temboo account
  2. Create a Google account
  3. Create a Google project
  4. Add and enable the Google Drive
  5. Create the Google Oauth credentials
  6. Create a spreadsheet
  7. Create a Temboo application
  8. Go through the Temboo InitializeOAuth procedure
  9. Validate the AuthorizationURL on Google
  10. Go through the Temboo FinalizeOAuth procedure
  11. Copy the code for Energia

Each procedure requires inputs and generates output automatically.
The last step generates the code for Energia with two files: one for the main sketch, another for all the credentials. 

Additional actions can be added to the sketch. For example, data successfully sent turns a LED on pin 17 on.
This basic example running on the LaunchPad CC3200 requires no fewer than 8 identifiers and keys!

Tempo includes a dashboard with all the usage metrics as the number of choreos, the number of calls and the size of the data. 

I was surprised by the size of each message: it averages ~20 kB.

Conclusion

Temboo offers a hub to connect virtually anything with everything. 

The standard example I took might not be the right one. Other choreos allow to send an e-mail, create a ticket on a help desk, track a parcel delivery, and much more.

Temboo seems to inherit the complexity from the configuration processes of the services it connects to. Even if the guided procedures for the choreos are of great help, the overhaul solution seems complicated when compared with a more integrated solution.

Pros

  • Connection to a wide range of services
  • Helpful guided procedures

Cons

  • Complex configuration procedures

Wrap-Up

  • Cloud hub
  • Complex configuration procedures 
  • Helpful guided procedures

Links