Communicating with the Internet of Things - G. Andrew Duthie

IoT, short for the Internet of Things, is a frequently-heard buzzword lately, with more and more vendors looking for ways to make money by Internet-enabling their devices. But one of the tricky aspects of IoT is choosing just how these devices, which are often small and low-powered, communicate. Some devices use WiFi, but that can be overkill for a device with only simple communication needs, not to mention providing another potential attack surface in your network. Other options include Bluetooth, and good old serial communications, or a combination of these options. In this session, you'll learn about many of the available options for communicating between microcontroller-driven devices and PCs or internet-based services, including Microsoft Azure-based services. You'll see examples of reading sensor information and using a phone or PC to control devices remotely. A range of hardware will be included, from .NET Microframework boards programmed with Visual Studio, to Arduino-compatible devices and even devices running JavaScript. Expect blinky lights, motors, and whatever other fun demo hardware happens to be on-hand.

Bio:
G. Andrew Duthie is the chief consultant for Devhammer Enterprises. Andrew is a consultant focused on helping clients meet their business goals through software. Andrew is also a trainer and writer with more than 15 years of industry experience, including nearly 10 years as a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft's Mid-Atlantic States district, where he provided support and education for developers working with the Microsoft platform. In addition to his work with Microsoft, Andrew is the author of several books on ASP.NET and web development, and has spoken at industry conferences from VSLive! and ASP.NET Connections, to Microsoft's PDC and Tech-Ed.

In addition to his work in software development, Andrew enjoys the world of hardware experimentation, including developing for Kinect and .NET Gadgeteer, mBed, and Arduino, to do everything from blinking LEDs and making strange noises, to flying a helicopter with his bare hands.

Andrew can be reached through his blog at http://devhammer.net/.