IoT with Losant
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Compared with other solutions, Losant relies on MQTT with a JSON-formatted payload, and offers a workflow to manage and process the data collected.
I applied for the free and limited account. |
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Implementing the Example on Energia
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Creating an application from scratch starts with defining a device, then fields for values.
Like other MQTT implementations, three codes are supplied and required. The Device ID is provided on the Application pane, but the Access Key and Access Secret are defined on the Access Key pane. |
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Losant relies on two MQTT topics: the first is called State and is sent by the device to Losant; the second is called Command and is sent from Losant to the device. The payload is a standard JSON string.
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The data explorer lists, plots and summarises the values of the states received.
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But the most interesting part of the Losant solution is the workflow.
In the example shown on the right, the Light value is compared to a threehold. The comparison expression is {{data.Light}} < 10000. Note the summarised help on the right pane and the link to the more comprehensive documentation. |
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If the condition is met, actions are taken accordingly, here sending an e-mail and a SMS.
Now, the environmnet is very close to Node-RED, although it includes a long list of nodes already installed and ready to use, like MongoDB or SalesForce cases. |
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I had no major issues porting the Arduino example to the CC3200 LaunchPad with the Sensors BoosterPack and Fuel Tank MK-II BoosterPack on Energia.
The initial example includes the Losant Arduino MQTT Client, which acts as an umbrella library and calls the MQTT and JSON standard libraries. It was easier to get rid of the dedicated library, and use the MQTT and JSON standard libraries for Energia directly instead. |
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Documentation
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All the pages include a short help, with a link to the corresponding extended documentation.
There is a dedicated section for selected boards, for example for Getting Started with Arduino. The documentation also includes a repository of Tutorials and Projects. |
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Conclusion
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I like the workflow capabilities and the flexibility it brings.
Now, it may be redundant with a Node-RED environment installed on a local server, although it comes with a long list of nodes already installed and reasy-to-use. Losant is on the cloud and requires an active internet connection, but provides all the tools in one single place. |
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Pros
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Cons
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Wrap-Up
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