What is Raspberry Pi? Why it is preferred choice for IoT?

Raspberry Pi – one of the top listed tech trends is taking the world by storm because of its versatile and cost-effective use in the technology world. You may have come across this terminology many times but do you what exactly it is? What you can do with it? Why it is the preferred choice for every software development company etc.

If you’re new to this Raspberry Pi, this blog will provide you the synopsis that you need to know before getting it started.

So, let’s start with basics!

What is Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, high-performance, small sized solo-board computer that can be utilize to explore computing and learn to program with Scratch & Python. It works like a normal desktop computer; you can play songs, videos, create documents (spreadsheets, word processing), browsing and much more

Initially it was developed to provide inexpensive computers with the programming capabilities for students, but today it has been embraced by programmers across the globe for developing the projects ranging from retro arcade cabinets to controlling robots in setting up cheap home media devices.

The specification of Raspberry Pi is:-

SoC of Broadcom BCM2835

USB 2.0 ports

Graphics processor f VideoCore IV, MicroUSB power source

Audio output with 3.5 mm jack

Onboard storage through SD card slot

Why there was a need of Raspberry Pi?

As servers are kept on all the time, it ultimately increases the cost of the system. The solution to this problem is to use an embedded server which can have a single-chip implementation of Ethernet working standards. And this can be achieved by using Raspberry Pi. By embedding Ethernet onto the device, it has the competency to interconnect via Ethernet without using PC; the server enables web access to automate and monitor the system and provides mountable networking solution which results into automation.

Working of Pi

The best thing about Raspberry Pi is that even with the minimum knowledge of coding; anyone can program it in a way they like.

Raspberry Pi is connected to the other device via wired and wireless sources. The wired source is connected through HDMI, VGA, USB cables, etc. and wireless is connected using Bluetooth devices, closed controlled networks like NFC devices and Wi-Fi or internet services.

This small device is connected to other devices through integrated circuits or GPIO pins to achieve desired output after coding. Once the goal of the device is finalized, software apps like MATLAP, JAVA, and ECLIPSE, etc. are used to program the apps accordingly.

The SD card is inserted into the slot on the board which acts as a hard drive for the Raspberry Pi. It is powered by USB and the video output is connected with monitor/TV using HDMI port which gives all the basic capabilities of the modern computer.

Which operating system is used by Raspberry Pi?

The PI can run the official Raspbian OS, Ubuntu Mate, the Kodi-based media centers OSMC and Libre Elec, the non-Linux bases Risc OS. It can also run Windows 10 IoT core which is quite different from the desktop version of Windows.

Windows 10 IoT core is developed for small and secure smart devices and can provide the rich UWP app experiences. This OS enables to develop IoT with Raspberry Pi which can be quickly provisioned and easily managed.

So, it can be rightly said that developers can make IoT projects easily with Raspberry PI!

But what features of Raspberry Pi make it important for IoT?

The key features of Raspberry Pi like low power consumption, small size device and easy management over the cloud makes it the most favorable for IoT device.

Raspberry Pi enables to use a variety of languages like Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, etc. and IoT app development can be easily done with JavaScript and other frameworks.

Raspberry Pi has 8 I/O pins which are digital in nature. To make these pins communicate with the other objects, only an additional chip would be required to be wired with digital pins

Another important thing about Raspberry Pi is its network connectivity. It comes with an in-built Ethernet connector and USB ports which make it easy to connect with Wi-Fi.

Moreover, Raspberry Pi is capable to run on Windows 10 which categorizes itself as the Internet of Things device.

The ever increasing demand in the IoT device market, new models of Raspberry Pi are coming with the upgraded things to pace in the IoT space.

Advantages of using Raspberry Pi

Consumes very less power

Uses SD card for storage

Small enough to hold in your hand. Hence, can be integrated inside the device

It is completely silent

Pi has expansion capabilities as it consists of 2 USB ports. By connecting a powered USB hub, more devices can be added

It has an in-built HDMI graphics which can handle resolutions up to 920*1200. Hence, it is best for use as a video player box

It is highly affordable and offers the best specs in terms of price

Phenomenal community support

Easy to swap with other SD card

For what purpose Raspberry Pi can be used in the application?

Used for Data collection:

The plenty of GPIO pins on Raspberry Pi and full-fledged functionality of computer enable to collect and process the data. It makes the use of ARM processors with high clock frequencies which results in good data sampling rates. Raspberry Pi bridges the gap between physical tasks and analyzing data.

For instance: In the warehouse, workers manually create hundreds of batches by carrying out repetitive tasks which obviously increases error rates. If the warehouse professional wanted to know the insights about how many batches are created? How long it took etc. It becomes extremely difficult to get the proper data.

If you come up with the Raspberry Pi solution, every task would be automated. A Raspberry Pi could involve a simple button for each set of batches. Workers just need to press those buttons upon the start and completion of the product. An electronic record of every task would be created which can refrain warehouse professional from entering the data manually and keeping track of all data. By using Raspberry Pi, data can be instantly available which ultimately increases productivity.

Used as a server:

Raspberry Pi can be used as a

Web Server: To host a website, its database and much more

Storage Server: To store the files online and access them from the network. Locally hosting your personal files makes it an easy way to share information with peers across the globe without having to pay hosting costs

Another option would be to use as a private Git repository system using Gitlab. Gitlab is a similar service to Github but allows you to self-host. The Raspberry Pi is the perfect solution for hosting code locally to your network so that you own the data. This is generally helpful in an office environment where numbers of users are using it to fetch data from Git repositories.

For all the service, Raspberry Pi would provide you with a low-cost, silent, non-heating machine with a very low power consumption of electricity. This makes it an ideal choice to be used as a server. Raspberry Pi is perfect for handling light internal or web traffic!

Serves as a middle server

Let’s say you have a device which has Bluetooth capabilities but doesn’t have internet access. How would you update the content from the server to cloud? You would require a way to connect!

Raspberry Pi makes it possible! It acts as a middle server connecting the cloud and the device. You just need to create code which can automatically update the content from the web server. With Raspberry Pi, you can develop a cheap way to transfer the content

Network Monitoring

Set up a Raspberry Pi to monitor your web servers! If Raspberry Pi is used, it would provide insights on what’s going wrong in your network, what things are working, network dependencies and much more. Moreover, you can have an idea about the performance data and can gain actionable insights of maintaining uptime for your networks and servers.

Different Raspberry Pi Models

Below mentioned are different models available in Raspberry Pi. They are as follows:-

• Pi 2 Model B
• Pi 3 Model B
• Pi Zero
• Pi 1 Model B+

Pi 1 Model A+

Conclusion

As low-power resources are gaining traction, Raspberry Pi can always be the preferred choice for the businesses. With an increasing demand in the IoT, new models of Raspberry Pi is making an ever-growing appearance. Raspberry Pi can do wonders for the businesses if implemented through proper strategy. Raspberry Pi based IoT projects are very popular due to their affordability and ease of implementation. The solution developed with the help of IoT can help the enterprise to reduce costs by improving operational efficiencies and takes enterprise mobility to the next level

So, are you the one looking to develop Raspberry Pi based solution or IoT projects with the use of Raspberry Pi? You are on the right page! We at SPEC INDIA provides you solution that can cater your requirements to achieve your business goals.

Connect with us, today to know more!

Ankit is Tech enthusiast and holding a Key position as the Business Development Manager for Spec India. He is well-traveled person, an avid reader and a very good listener.