IoT testing
Nowadays, it is crucial to be the best, the fastest and the most qualitative in order to enter the market. The competition is just insane in all fields of activity. Users are not local and most of them are ready to turn down the usage if there is even a minor drawback. Therefore, testing is extremely significant.
The purpose of testing is to ensure the better understanding and control of diverse interconnected IoT devices.
Challenges of IoT testing:
- The network and internal connection should be checked.
- Since IoT devices are connected through the Internet, security checks are crucial.
- The software is complex, therefore the hide bug may be present in the IoT technology.
- Resource limitation: memory, processor power, bandwidth, battery life limitations.
Performance testing:
It concerns the rapidity of the communication network model as well as the internal computing capabilities of the embedded software system.
IoT performance testing should be done at:
- The network and gateway level.
- System levell.
- Application level.
An example of such testing may be testing of the response time in comparison with reference time and determined conditions.
Security testing:
In terms of testing, it is necessary to check whether data is protected during transmission from one device to others, particularly considering the opportunity of Internet usage for such transmissions. It is necessary to be convinced that wherever the UI is, it is password protected.
Aspects that should be included in IoT security testing:
- Device authentication.
- Encryption/decryption.
- Protection of the device itself.
- Protection of the networks or cloud services to which it is connected.
Sensor networks, real-time data collection applications, middleware, interfaces and protocols M2M - are just some of the variables that can bring more injectable points and new security threats. Security testing at the device and protocol level is one of the significant areas, where problems may be detected at source.
Compatibility testing:
Compatibility testing is becoming the essential necessity at application layer and network layer of the IoT framework. It concerns the testing of possible working combinations of device hardware, communication protocol versions, software versions and operating systems.
While testing, it is essential to make sure that IoT software supports a certain set of devices or check whether communications protocols between devices are compatible.
Compatibility testing at the level of service in the IoT structure is becoming extremely significant as IoT requires standards for ensuring interoperability, operability, and programmability of platforms across devices, regardless of brand, model, manufacturer, or industry.
During the testing, the attention needs to be paid to two crucial things regarding connection:
- Connection, data transmission, receiving work tasks from devices should be seamless when the connection is established and working.
- Check offline working conditions. The notification should be provided whenever the system is not available on the network. The system should also have a mechanism for saving all data during the offline period. As soon as the system connects to the network, all this data should get propagated.
End-user application Testing:
It includes testing of all options of functional usage of IoT applications, which includes user experience and usability testing. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that an IoT application has all crucial functions that operate according to specifications and whether the user interaction (UX) is good.
Updates testing:
IoT is a combination of several protocols, devices, operating systems, firmware, hardware, network layers, etc. When the update of a system or any items involved is being performed, regression testing should be done or a strategy should be adopted in order to overcome the issues related to the update.
IoT has confidently become a part of both the business world and daily life.
Many smart things no longer seem to us to be innovations, but rather something ordinary. That is why the introduction of IoT devices to the market should be with a minimum number of shortcomings, and even better - without them at all.