SORACOM Inc. is pleased to announce that it has begun offering a Downlink API on its IoT platform “SORACOM” that can send commands and requests to devices that use the SORACOM IoT SIM.
In IoT applications, there is a need to send instructions from a server to devices and control their operation, such as monitoring, controlling, and maintaining devices installed in remote locations, changing sensor data collection intervals and threshold settings, and operating applications running on the devices.
One such method is to wait for commands on the device side and receive instructions from a cloud application, which has been used particularly in devices such as IoT gateways. In recent years, with the spread of LPWA, this method is also being adopted in devices with power constraints such as smart meters.
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The IoT platform SORACOM provides services such as “SORACOM Gate” and “SORACOM Napter” that establish secure communication paths between devices and servers, and supports procedures such as initial device setup and unplanned maintenance through interactive remote access.
The newly launched “Downlink API” is a function that allows you to send commands and requests to the unique “SIM ID” assigned to the SORACOM IoT SIM. This allows you to send control instructions from a server or application to a device equipped with a SORACOM IoT SIM via the SORACOM platform. This is suitable for routine operations such as changing settings after the start of operation, and by repeatedly calling this function, it is also possible to send instructions to multiple devices at once.
For example, in large-scale commercial IoT systems, there are cases where the same command is executed simultaneously on tens of thousands of devices. There are also scenarios where a system event is triggered to send a command from the server to a device to perform remote operation. In such cases, using the Downlink API can reduce communication and processing loads. It also simplifies development, allowing for short development times and smooth operation.
The Downlink API supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH, and remote control can be achieved by running software on the device that listens on these protocols.
This function can be tried free of charge until June 2025. For details on the function and development methods, please refer to the user documentation “Downlink API.”
SORACOM aims to “democratize IoT technology” and, by providing the latest IoT-based technologies in an easier-to-use manner through SORACOM, it aims to generate many use cases and innovations.
SOURCE: PRTimes
