Explore New Opportunities with the Best Practices in IoT Testing

With the advent of the internet, people have started looking for ways to revolutionize it. As smartphones marched into our lives, people discovered new ways to utilize the internet. Mobile solutions have proven to be a game changer. Internet of Things aims to integrate all possible devices and technologies around us – televisions, watches, home appliances, laptops and even lights. All these 'smart devices' will interact with one another to provide a seamless experience.

Like every other internet based service or application, every device in the network of IoT has to be tested. There are four main aspects which make a device 'smart':

• The ability to communicate through internet connectivity
• The ability to sense using built-in sensors
• The use of electronic parts in the device to adapt and interact with the environment
• Assigning a unique identity and functionality for the device

Opportunities of Internet of Things Testing:

There is enough reason for all major companies to go crazy over IoT. It provides extremely efficient Machine to Machine (M2M) communication to simplify our lifestyle. Some of the main IoT testing opportunities are as follows:

• Payments through NFC – With the progress in technology, the world is also moving to keep up with the latest developments. Nowadays, popular banks, toll booths and retail shops accept NFC payments where one can make seamless payments with NFC tags simply by using their mobile phones.
• Apple Pay and Android Pay – All the major operating systems like Android and iOS now support wireless payment methods, where people can carry their debit or credit cards digitally on their phones and make secure payments in stores. Most of the major stores have already started accepting wireless payment methods using NFC. Even banks like Bank of America and JP Morgan accept wireless payment.
• Proper Integration between Bank Accounts and Apps – It always helps to have a digital transaction methods right from the phone. It is easier than carrying a lot of cash around.
• Payment through other Digital Devices – Nowadays, people can even make payments through smartwatches and wearables, all thanks to the concept of IoT, which aims at bringing a smarter solution to all your daily objects of use.
• Analyzing Customer Behavior – ATM card transactions, retail store payments, NFC usage can be studied to offer tailored customer services and offers.

Best Practices in IoT Testing:

IoT testing requires rigorous tests to ensure quality of the IoT services. Some of the best practices for testing are mentioned below.

• Availability of a well-defined requirements along with a comprehensive, robust test plan, where Unit and Integration testing brings tremendous relevance
• Modern platforms can provide efficient communication and can process valid information from large amount of raw data, thus maintaining good timing and proper systems framework
• QA Testing team could also use the best in class tools, simulators, viewers and consoles for proper execution of the project
• Having a profound understanding of the operating system, hardware, architecture, protocols and also being able to determine their limitations can help
• Embedding the mainstream functionalities into a strong backend can enable them at ease in the testing process

Although IoT has been there for a year or so, it has been gaining a lot of popularity lately. Today, companies are actively investing in this technology to contribute to a smarter way of living in various ways – smart cities, smart retail, smart safety measures, smart homes, etc. People can now control the lights from their smartphones, lock a door, make a wireless payment, control the temperature of a room, thanks to IoT and its interconnected ecosystem and the innovations these companies are doing in this field.

Michael works for Cigniti Technologies, which is the world's first Independent Software Testing Company to be appraised at CMMI-SVC Level 5, and an ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 27001:2013 certified organization.