Engineering Service Domain

IoT Infrastructure & Solutions

Complete Internet of Things ecosystem design: sensor networks, edge computing, communication protocols, and cloud platform integration. From device to dashboard.

The Internet of Things: Connecting the Physical World

The Internet of Things (IoT) represents one of the most transformative technological shifts of the 21st century — the interconnection of physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and industrial equipment with embedded electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. The global IoT market is projected to exceed $1.5 trillion by 2027, with India positioned as a key growth market driven by smart city initiatives, industrial automation (Industry 4.0), and precision agriculture adoption.

At Hexcode Plus R&D in Thiruvananthapuram, we architect and deploy complete IoT infrastructure — from the sensor node at the edge to the cloud dashboard that visualizes insights. Our MSME-certified laboratory builds IoT hardware solutions that operate reliably in challenging environments: agricultural fields under monsoon conditions, factory floors with electromagnetic interference, and outdoor installations requiring solar power and weatherproof enclosures. We bridge the gap between silicon-level embedded engineering and cloud-scale data architecture.

Kerala's unique geography — with its mix of dense urban centers, extensive agricultural regions, long coastline, and growing industrial base — provides an ideal proving ground for diverse IoT applications. Our location in Thiruvananthapuram, with proximity to Technopark and the state's electronics manufacturing ecosystem, allows us to rapidly prototype, field-test, and iterate IoT solutions that scale across India.

Service Portfolio

IoT Engineering Services

MQTT & CoAP Protocol Implementation

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is the de facto standard protocol for IoT communication — lightweight, bandwidth-efficient, and designed for unreliable networks. We implement complete MQTT ecosystems: embedded client libraries on microcontrollers, private broker deployment and configuration, topic hierarchy design, and Quality of Service (QoS) level optimization for different data criticality tiers.

MQTT ARCHITECTURE SERVICES:

  • → Private MQTT broker deployment (Mosquitto, HiveMQ, EMQX)
  • → Topic namespace design for multi-tenant, multi-site deployments
  • → QoS 0, 1, 2 implementation with message persistence and queuing
  • → TLS/SSL encryption with X.509 certificate-based authentication
  • → Last Will and Testament (LWT) for offline device detection
  • → Retained messages for configuration distribution
  • → Load testing with thousands of concurrent device connections
  • → MQTT v5.0 features: session expiry, shared subscriptions, flow control

ALTERNATIVE PROTOCOLS:

  • → CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) for UDP-based IoT
  • → HTTP/HTTPS REST APIs for non-MQTT integration points
  • → WebSocket bridges for real-time browser dashboards
  • → Modbus TCP/RTU for industrial equipment integration
Protocol: MQTT v3.1.1 / v5.0, CoAP
QoS Levels: 0 (Fire & Forget), 1 (At Least Once), 2 (Exactly Once)
Brokers: Mosquitto, HiveMQ, EMQX, AWS IoT Core

LoRaWAN Sensor Networks

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) enables kilometer-range wireless communication at extremely low power consumption — ideal for agricultural monitoring, smart metering, environmental sensing, and industrial asset tracking across large geographic areas. We design and deploy complete LoRaWAN infrastructure: sensor nodes, gateway hardware, network server configuration, and data pipeline integration.

LORAWAN DEPLOYMENT SERVICES:

  • → LoRaWAN node design using STM32WL, ESP32 + SX1276, Heltec modules
  • → Gateway deployment (single-channel to 8-channel concentrators)
  • → Network server: The Things Network (TTN), ChirpStack, AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN
  • → Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) optimization for power and range balance
  • → Multi-hop mesh network topology for extended coverage
  • → OTAA (Over-the-Air Activation) and ABP (Activation by Personalization)
  • → Coverage modeling using radio propagation tools
  • → Interference analysis and channel planning
Frequency: 865-867 MHz (India IN865 band)
Range: Up to 15 km (Line of Sight), 2-5 km (Urban)
Battery Life: >5 Years (duty-cycled, Class A)

Edge Computing Architecture

Sending every sensor reading to the cloud is neither efficient nor necessary. Edge computing brings data processing, filtering, and decision-making closer to the data source — reducing bandwidth costs, latency, and cloud dependency while enabling local autonomy during network outages. We design edge computing architectures that intelligently partition processing between constrained microcontrollers, gateway devices, and cloud services.

EDGE COMPUTING SERVICES:

  • → Edge node deployment on Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, BeagleBone
  • → Local data preprocessing: filtering, aggregation, downsampling
  • → On-edge rule engines for real-time actuation without cloud round-trip
  • → Containerized edge applications (Docker on ARM)
  • → TensorFlow Lite and ONNX Runtime for edge AI inference
  • → Store-and-forward buffering for offline/disconnected operation
  • → Fog computing topology: hierarchical edge-gateway-cloud architecture
  • → Node-RED flow-based programming for rapid edge logic iteration
Edge Platforms: Raspberry Pi 4/5, NVIDIA Jetson Nano/Orin
Frameworks: Node-RED, TensorFlow Lite, Docker
Local Storage: SQLite, InfluxDB, TimescaleDB

Cloud Platform Integration

The cloud serves as the brain of an IoT system — aggregating data from thousands of devices, running analytics, generating alerts, and providing management interfaces. We integrate IoT hardware with all major cloud platforms, implementing secure device provisioning, telemetry ingestion pipelines, rule engines, and data visualization dashboards tailored to operational requirements.

CLOUD SERVICES:

  • → AWS IoT Core: device provisioning, device shadow, rules engine, Greengrass
  • → Azure IoT Hub: device twins, message routing, Stream Analytics
  • → Google Cloud IoT Core: device registry, Pub/Sub integration
  • → Private cloud/on-premise MQTT infrastructure for data sovereignty
  • → X.509 certificate provisioning and PKI infrastructure
  • → Real-time data streaming: AWS Kinesis, Azure Event Hubs, Kafka
  • → Time-series databases: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, AWS Timestream
  • → Dashboard development: Grafana, AWS QuickSight, custom web dashboards

DATA PIPELINE:

Device → MQTT Broker → Message Queue → Stream Processor → Time-Series DB → Dashboard/Analytics. We architect each stage for scalability, reliability, and cost optimization based on data volume and query patterns.

Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP, Private
Protocols: MQTT, HTTPS, WebSockets, AMQP
Databases: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, DynamoDB

IoT Security & Encryption

Security is not an afterthought in IoT — it must be architected into every layer from the beginning. IoT devices are attractive attack targets due to their physical accessibility, resource constraints that limit traditional security measures, and potential to serve as entry points into broader networks. We implement defense-in-depth IoT security: device identity, encrypted communication, secure boot, firmware integrity, and key management.

SECURITY LAYERS:

  • → Transport Layer Security: TLS 1.2/1.3 with strong cipher suites
  • → Device identity: X.509 certificates, pre-shared keys, OAuth 2.0 tokens
  • → Secure boot: cryptographic verification of firmware before execution
  • → Encrypted firmware updates with signed images (AES-256-GCM + RSA)
  • → Secure element integration (ATECC608A, STSAFE) for key storage
  • → Network segmentation and firewall rules for device subnets
  • → Access control lists and role-based device permissions
  • → Security audit logging and anomaly detection
Encryption: TLS 1.3, AES-256-GCM, ChaCha20-Poly1305
Authentication: X.509, JWT, OAuth 2.0, PSK
Hardware Security: ATECC608A, STSAFE-A110

Smart Agriculture & Environmental Monitoring

Kerala's agricultural sector — spanning spices, tea, coffee, coconut, rubber, and paddy — presents unique IoT opportunities for precision farming. We develop sensor networks that monitor soil moisture, temperature, humidity, rainfall, water level, and crop health indicators. Our agricultural IoT solutions integrate with automated irrigation systems, weather stations, and farm management dashboards.

AGRI-IOT SOLUTIONS:

  • → Soil moisture and temperature sensor arrays for irrigation optimization
  • → Automated drip irrigation control based on real-time soil data
  • → Weather station integration: rainfall, wind speed, solar radiation
  • → Water level monitoring for reservoirs, tanks, and canals
  • → Cold storage temperature and humidity monitoring with alerts
  • → Solar-powered nodes for remote field deployment
  • → LoRaWAN-based communication for long-range rural coverage
  • → Disease prediction models using environmental data correlations
Sensors: Soil Moisture, Temp/Humidity, Rain Gauge, Wind
Range: Up to 15km via LoRaWAN
Power: Solar + Battery, 24/7 Operation

Reference Architecture

The Four-Layer IoT Stack

Our IoT solutions follow a structured four-layer architecture that ensures scalability, security, and maintainability at every tier.

LAYER 1: DEVICE

Sensing & Actuation

The physical interface to the world. Microcontroller-based nodes with sensor arrays (temperature, humidity, pressure, motion, gas, current), actuator control (relays, motors, valves), and local signal conditioning. Operates on battery or line power with duty-cycled operation for efficiency. Every node includes unique device identity and secure boot.

Hardware: ESP32, STM32, Arduino, Custom PCB
LAYER 2: NETWORK

Communication Fabric

The transport layer that connects devices to gateways and cloud. Selection of appropriate wireless technology based on range, bandwidth, power, and cost: WiFi for local high-bandwidth, BLE for short-range personal devices, LoRaWAN for long-range low-power, and NB-IoT/cellular for nationwide coverage.

Protocols: LoRaWAN, WiFi, BLE, NB-IoT, 4G
LAYER 3: EDGE/GATEWAY

Data Processing & Routing

Intermediate computing nodes that aggregate data from multiple sensors, perform local processing, run edge AI inference, buffer data during connectivity loss, and bridge between local protocols (LoRaWAN, BLE) and IP-based cloud connections. Reduces cloud bandwidth and latency.

Platforms: Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, Custom
LAYER 4: CLOUD

Storage, Analytics, Visualization

Cloud infrastructure for device management, data storage, analytics, alerting, and user dashboards. Scalable message ingestion, time-series databases, rule engines, and API endpoints for integration with enterprise systems (ERP, CRM). Role-based access control for multi-user environments.

Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP, Private

Industry Verticals

IoT Applications by Sector

Industrial IoT (IIoT)

Predictive maintenance sensors, machine condition monitoring, OEE tracking, energy consumption monitoring, and production line analytics. Modbus/OPC-UA integration with legacy industrial equipment for brownfield deployments.

Smart Agriculture

Soil condition monitoring, automated irrigation, greenhouse climate control, livestock tracking, cold chain monitoring, and weather station networks. Solar-powered, LoRaWAN-connected, designed for outdoor durability.

Smart Cities

Smart street lighting, waste bin fill monitoring, air quality sensing, water quality monitoring, parking occupancy detection, and public infrastructure condition monitoring. Battery or solar powered with long-range connectivity.

Healthcare IoT

Remote patient monitoring devices, hospital asset tracking, cold storage temperature monitoring for vaccines and medicines, air quality monitoring in ICUs, and wearable health sensors with BLE connectivity.

Energy Management

Smart metering, solar panel performance monitoring, substation condition monitoring, power quality analysis, and demand response systems. Real-time energy consumption dashboards with anomaly detection alerts.

Logistics & Supply Chain

Fleet vehicle tracking, cargo condition monitoring (temperature, humidity, shock), warehouse environmental monitoring, and asset tracking with GPS + LoRaWAN/4G for real-time location and condition visibility.

Ready to Build Your IoT Infrastructure?

From single-node proof-of-concept to thousand-device production deployments, we architect IoT solutions that scale. Let's discuss your sensor network, edge computing, or cloud integration requirements.

INITIATE IOT CONSULTATION

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use LoRaWAN or NB-IoT in India?

It depends on ownership and location. LoRaWAN uses India's delicensed 865-867 MHz band, has no per-device fees, and gives 10+ year battery life and long rural range, making it strong for agriculture and remote monitoring. NB-IoT runs on licensed cellular spectrum with far better building penetration, but charges a subscription per device per month, indefinitely. Large fleets with long lives favour LoRaWAN; devices deep inside buildings favour NB-IoT.

What frequency does LoRaWAN use in India?

India uses the 865-867 MHz ISM band, delicensed by the Department of Telecommunications for low-power short-range devices. This differs from the EU (868 MHz) and the US (915 MHz), so hardware must be configured for the IN865 regional parameters. Modules set for the wrong region are a common and avoidable mistake.

Can you connect IoT devices to AWS or Azure?

Yes. Hexcode Plus integrates with AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub and private MQTT brokers, including TLS for data in transit, per-device credentials and edge processing so that only meaningful data is sent upstream.

Can you retrofit IoT monitoring onto old industrial machines?

Yes, and that is usually the right approach. Most machines need no modification: clamp-on current transformers, accelerometers and temperature sensors read the machine externally without voiding warranties. Where equipment has a digital interface, we read it directly, typically over Modbus RTU on RS-485.