Top ThingSpeak Alternatives

IoT devices are the future as far as technology is concerned. IoT devices are going to change the way in which we as humans, deal with machines. A lot of our traditional devices will be replaced by smart devices that will serve human beings in a much better way. One of the ways in which this evolution and transition to smart devices will take place is by the use of analytics. The data collected from devices is and will be used to enhance the responsiveness of the IoT devices.

The importance of analytics in IoT

Therefore, data analytics forms an important part of the IoT devices’ functioning. The data analysis can be simply put a collection of data and then its analysis. ThingSpeak is an IoT analytics platform that collects, organizes, visualizes and provides insights on cloud-based live data streams. The analytics performed by the platform is a three-step process which begins with the collection of data. The data from sensors attached to different things such as home appliances, electronic devices, urban infrastructure, and automobiles measure quantities such as temperature, wind speed, humidity and send it across to the platform.

The process

The next step obviously is the analysis of the received data. This is done using MatLab. Using this software the users can track and analyze trends and plot graphs and pie charts to make it more presentable to others for further research and development. The further course of action can be to act upon the insights-driven from the analyzed data. The actions can be as simple as turning off the A.C once the temperature in the room falls below a certain degree.

The other capabilities of the platform

The platform is compatible with different analytics tools such as Arduino, Senet, Raspberry Pi, and Libelium among others. In addition to the compatibility, the platform also offers apps to visualize data and trigger actions. MatLab analysis and MatLab visualizations are the analytics apps on offer while apps like Thingtweet, Timecontrol, and ThingHTTP are used to trigger actions. The platform is offered in four packages namely standard, academic, student and home. The home package is targeted for personal users while the standard package is for government and organizational use.