Internet of Things (IoT) Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-05-25

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The Internet of Things (IoT) connects billions of physical devices—sensors, actuators, gateways, and edge computers—to the internet, enabling real-time data exchange, automation, and intelligence at scale. Born from embedded systems and machine-to-machine communication, IoT now spans consumer, industrial, healthcare, and smart city domains. In 2026, Edge AI, 5G RedCap, Matter 1.5, and satellite NTN connectivity are reshaping the ecosystem from cloud-centric to distributed, locally-intelligent architectures. Understanding IoT means mastering not just device hardware, but communication protocols, data pipelines, power optimization, and security from chip to cloud—where every design choice trades off latency, bandwidth, energy, and cost.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 22 focused tables and 171 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Core IoT Device TypesTable 2: Communication ProtocolsTable 3: Wireless TechnologiesTable 4: IoT ArchitecturesTable 5: Data Formats and SerializationTable 6: Edge and Cloud PlatformsTable 7: Development BoardsTable 8: Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS)Table 9: Security MechanismsTable 10: Power Management TechniquesTable 11: Time-Series DatabasesTable 12: Sensor TypesTable 13: Industrial IoT (IIoT) ConceptsTable 14: Networking and AddressingTable 15: Device ManagementTable 16: Stream Processing and AnalyticsTable 17: Interoperability StandardsTable 18: Edge AI and Machine LearningTable 19: Constrained Device ConsiderationsTable 20: Testing and DebuggingTable 21: Hardware Interface ProtocolsTable 22: IoT Application Domains

Table 1: Core IoT Device Types

IoT deployments span a wide range of hardware—from tiny $0.50 microcontrollers to powerful edge AI computers. Knowing which device class fits your use case determines power budget, programming model, and connectivity options before any other decision is made.

Type	Example	Description
Sensor	`DHT22 temperature/humidity sensor` `MPU-6050 accelerometer`	• Hardware that measures physical phenomena (temperature, motion, light) and converts to digital signals • forms the perception layer of IoT systems
Actuator	`Servo motor controlling valve` `Relay switching LED`	• Device that performs physical action in response to commands (open/close, move, switch) • enables IoT systems to affect the real world
Microcontroller (MCU)	`ARM Cortex-M4 @ 80MHz, 256KB RAM` `RISC-V RV32IMAC @ 160MHz`	• Single-chip computer with CPU, memory, and I/O • optimized for low power, real-time control, and embedded workloads under 1MB RAM
Gateway	`LoRaWAN gateway aggregating 500 nodes` `Industrial edge gateway with Modbus + MQTT`	• Protocol translator and aggregator between constrained devices and cloud/backend • provides local filtering, buffering, and security enforcement

Table 1: Core IoT Device Types

Type	Example	Description
Sensor	`DHT22 temperature/humidity sensor` `MPU-6050 accelerometer`	• Hardware that measures physical phenomena (temperature, motion, light) and converts to digital signals • forms the perception layer of IoT systems
Actuator	`Servo motor controlling valve` `Relay switching LED`	• Device that performs physical action in response to commands (open/close, move, switch) • enables IoT systems to affect the real world
Microcontroller (MCU)	`ARM Cortex-M4 @ 80MHz, 256KB RAM` `RISC-V RV32IMAC @ 160MHz`	• Single-chip computer with CPU, memory, and I/O • optimized for low power, real-time control, and embedded workloads under 1MB RAM
Gateway	`LoRaWAN gateway aggregating 500 nodes` `Industrial edge gateway with Modbus + MQTT`	• Protocol translator and aggregator between constrained devices and cloud/backend • provides local filtering, buffering, and security enforcement