Google Launched Cloud IoT Commands to control Embedded Devices

In the era of the internet, everyone wants to retrieve their data from the cloud or get their queries to execute in a split second. IoT (the Internet of Things) is helping us achieve that by binding the things we use every day to the internet.

Google has recently rolled out a new feature for devices which are using the companies solution named Cloud IoT Core which will help users use various commands providing low latency and high frequency ephemeral messaging between the IoT devices and cloud.

This will offer a viable alternative to the Core IoT Core device config and enable the developers to use their devices and sensors in new ways.

At the time of writing, the commands are available for use to all Google Cloud Platform users.

This is quite an improvements over the existing technology which uses a config simplifying the communication channel via a publish-subscribe model.

It is quite slow and is not meant for sending messages, capping at one message per second. Google's command system lets users send upto 100 messages per second, per device and can be up to 256 kb in size. Devices making use of the IoT Core MQTT Bridge receive these messages in an instant and create a low latency channel which users are able to make use of for real-time control of their devices.

The Device Command feature is released as a new API in the IoT Core Device manager and lets users integrate with previous applications and the Google Cloud IAM for convenient access management.

It supports the MQTT QoS 1 specification which tracks in real time if the message was delivered or if they need to send it again.

How commands differ from configs

The new command feature is not intended to be a complete replacement to the existing config system, each having its advantages and disadvantages.

Configs excel for performing low-frequency updates and are to modify the actual configuration of a device whereas commands can prove useful when many applications communicate with a single device.

Customer reviews

“Device commands enable Smart Parking to continue to achieve its mission of ‘Re-inventing the Parking Experience’ by securely and reliably displaying signs with live information anywhere and everywhere,” explains John Heard, CTO of Smart Parking. “Using device commands, the SmartCloud Platform is able to be an open message management solution.”

“The new device commands feature from Cloud IoT Core provides SOTEC’s industrial gateway customers with real-time cloud-to-device control,” says Matthias Feurer, Head of Smart & Connected Systems, SOTEC. “This empowers industrial automation equipment to be cloud-connected and -controlled. This will help our customers, and us further realize our vision for smart factories and manufacturing.”

The documentation is now available at Google's website if you are interested in trying the feature out.