One Sensor, One Room, One Dashboard

Let’s start with a simple picture. You have a temperature sensor on the wall of a room. It reads the temperature every 10 seconds. That reading needs to get to a dashboard on your computer. How does it get there?

The Simple Story

Here’s what happens:

1. Sensor reads the temperature: 23.4°C
2. Device takes that reading and wraps it in a message
3. Network carries the message over Wi-Fi
4. Cloud receives and stores the message
5. Dashboard shows you the temperature

That’s it. Five steps from sensor to screen.

The End-to-End Path

Watch how data flows through the system:

What Each Component Does

Sensor

• Reads from the physical world
• In our story: measures temperature
• Output: a number (like 23.4)

Device

• Small computer that owns the sensor
• Takes the reading and makes it into a message
• Adds things like device ID and timestamp
• Sends the message over the network

Network

• How the message travels
• Could be Wi-Fi, cellular, or Ethernet
• Just carries the message from device to cloud

Cloud

• Service that receives messages
• Stores them in a database
• Makes them available to dashboards
• Runs somewhere on the internet

Dashboard

• What you see on your screen
• Shows charts, current values, alerts
• Pulls data from the cloud
• Updates as new readings arrive

Why This Matters

Understanding this flow helps you:

• Debug problems - If the dashboard is empty, you know where to look
• Make choices - Pick the right protocol or network type
• Build systems - Know what components you need
• Explain to others - Simple mental model that works

Key Terms (Simple Definitions)

IoT (Internet of Things)

• Small devices that sense the world and talk to services
• Things like temperature sensors, smart lights, door locks

Telemetry

• Data that devices send to the cloud
• Usually measurements: temperature, humidity, motion, etc.
• Sent regularly (every few seconds or minutes)

Cloud

• Services that run on the internet
• Store data, process it, serve it to dashboards
• You don’t manage the servers

Dashboard

• Visual display of your data
• Charts, graphs, current values
• Usually a web page or mobile app

The Mental Model

Think of it like sending a letter:

1. You write a letter (sensor reads temperature)
2. You put it in an envelope with an address (device creates message)
3. You mail it (network carries it)
4. Post office receives it (cloud stores it)
5. Recipient reads it (dashboard displays it)

Same idea, just faster and automated.

What’s Next?

Now that you have the big picture, let’s look closer at the devices themselves. In the next page, we’ll explore sensors, actuators, and how devices work.