Machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion (M2M) – defin­i­tion, char­ac­ter­ist­ics, and ad­vant­ages

Machine-to-machine, or M2M for short, refers to the automated exchange of in­form­a­tion between devices without manual in­ter­ven­tion by humans. Machine-to-machine tech­no­logy is used for a wide range of ap­plic­a­tions, from mon­it­or­ing and con­trolling machines to the indexing of websites by search engines.

In­tel­li­gent machines can exchange in­form­a­tion without human as­sist­ance and even co­ordin­ate and perform actions. In this article, you’ll learn the basics of M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion, including how it came about, how it works, and when and where it is used. Discover the ad­vant­ages of this tech­no­logy for your own business.

Machine-to-machine is a broad term. Most defin­i­tions of M2M focus on par­tic­u­lar aspects and ignore other key points.

One succinct defin­i­tion of machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion is as follows:

Although M2M usually does not involve human as­sist­ance, the cited defin­i­tion does not rule out limited human in­ter­ven­tion.

Other defin­i­tions of M2M focus on technical aspects and how this type of com­mu­nic­a­tion works. According to these defin­i­tions, machine-to-machine refers to a device that detects an event and forwards it to an ap­plic­a­tion via a network. This ap­plic­a­tion then trans­lates the trans­mit­ted event into un­der­stand­able in­form­a­tion.

The exchange of in­form­a­tion between machines dates back to the early 20th century. At that time, in­form­a­tion was only trans­mit­ted over cables. In the late 1920s, telemetry emerged, making it possible to send meas­ure­ments from a sensor to a remote data pro­cessing system using radio systems. In the following years, ad­vance­ments in tele­graphy, telephony, radio, and tele­vi­sion inspired the math­em­atician Claude Shannon to create a math­em­at­ic­al theory of in­form­a­tion. His efforts to reduce back­ground noise laid the found­a­tion for clearer data trans­mis­sion and further ad­vance­ments in machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion.

In the second half of the 20th century, the de­vel­op­ment of caller ID and automatic meter reading were further mile­stones in M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion. By the late 20th century, and es­pe­cially in the 21st century, machine-to-machine tech­no­logy advanced rapidly thanks to the advent of cellular and wireless Internet con­nectiv­ity. Nowadays, automated com­mu­nic­a­tion between machines has become such a big part of our everyday lives that we’re hardly aware of it anymore.

The main purpose of machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion is to collect data and transmit it to a network. Another goal of M2M is to auto­mat­ic­ally perform actions that are triggered by sequences of events. Ad­di­tion­ally, the art of machine learning can be used so that machines optimise their action sequences. This ap­plic­a­tion for M2M tech­no­logy is closely related to ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence and is the basis for the Internet of Things.

To un­der­stand the tech­no­logy, it’s helpful to know its defining char­ac­ter­ist­ics. All machine-to-machine systems consist of the three main com­pon­ents, which are shown below.

The data endpoint is the system con­tain­ing the data to be trans­mit­ted or monitored. A DEP can be a vending machine that sends inventory in­form­a­tion to a central office, an in­stru­ment that records weather data, or a medical device that transmits patient health data. Data endpoints are mi­cro­com­puter systems, meaning trans­mit­ters that are linked to a receiver. An M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion network can consist of numerous data endpoints and connected devices. The data endpoints send the desired in­form­a­tion to the network, where it is trans­mit­ted to the data in­teg­ra­tion point. In­di­vidu­al data endpoints also com­mu­nic­ate with each other via the network.

There are different types of com­mu­nic­a­tion networks for trans­fer­ring data from one machine to another. These include the cellular networks and wireless or wired Internet con­nec­tions that we use every day. However, there are also a variety of other tech­no­lo­gies for trans­fer­ring data that are primarily used in Internet of Things ap­plic­a­tions:

• RFID tech­no­logy (Radio Frequency Iden­ti­fic­a­tion) uses elec­tro­mag­net­ic waves to enable con­tact­less data exchanges and is mainly used in logistics. RFID is also used for payment cards and animal ID tags.
• The short-range radio standard NFC is also based on RFID. NFC is used ex­tens­ively for con­tact­less payment, paperless access control, two-factor au­then­tic­a­tion, and much more. There are even some smart­phone apps and games that use NFC signals to com­mu­nic­ate with users.
• Bluetooth is also used in the Internet of Things. This tech­no­logy allows you to quickly transfer data in a piconet. Bluetooth is not only used for sending photos and videos, but also in audio systems in smart homes or hands-free systems in cars. In addition, Bluetooth plays an important role in medical equipment such as hearing aids, pros­theses, or devices for mon­it­or­ing blood sugar.

The machine that receives the in­form­a­tion is called the data in­teg­ra­tion point. While there can be many data endpoints, there is only one data in­teg­ra­tion point in a network. The DIP can be a server, a control centre that monitors meter readings, or a web crawler that collects data on a large number of websites.

Un­der­stand­ing exactly how M2M works is es­pe­cially useful if you deal with this tech­no­logy in your work. M2M is in­cred­ibly versatile and has a vast range of functions and uses. Below, you’ll learn more about the char­ac­ter­ist­ic features and ad­vant­ages of machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion.

One char­ac­ter­ist­ic of M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion is that its low energy use increases the ef­fi­ciency of systems during data exchanges. The network operator is re­spons­ible for service packages – often including mon­it­or­ing functions – so that users can keep track of important events. Data transfers can be delayed in the network if higher priority data is sent sim­ul­tan­eously. Al­tern­at­ively, users can schedule data transfers using a timer, or small amounts of data can be trans­ferred con­tinu­ously. In logistics, machines can even be pro­grammed by location so that they auto­mat­ic­ally send out no­ti­fic­a­tions or turn on when they are in a certain area.

While the domestic reg­u­lat­ory framework sur­round­ing M2M systems in the US is com­par­at­ively un­der­developed, things look quite different across the Atlantic. The European Tele­com­mu­nic­a­tions Standards Institute (ETSI) is tasked with creating global standards for in­form­a­tion and com­mu­nic­a­tions tech­no­lo­gies, which could have im­plic­a­tions for anyone who wants to do business in the EU or elsewhere while using M2M systems. ETSI defines the following re­quire­ments for machine-to-machine systems:

• Scalab­il­ity: The system must function ef­fi­ciently even after other connected devices are added.
• Anonymity: The system must be able to hide the identity of connected devices.
• Logs: M2M systems must be able to record failed in­stall­a­tions, defects or incorrect data – and retain those records for later viewing.
• Systems must adhere to the basic prin­ciples of machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion explained above.
• Trans­mis­sion methods: The system must support different trans­mis­sion methods such as Unicast, Anycast, Multicast, and Broadcast, and be able to switch between these methods to reduce loads during M2M data trans­mis­sion.
• Schedul­ing of message trans­mis­sion: The system must be able to schedule data transfer times and control or delay com­mu­nic­a­tions based on priority.
• Selection of com­mu­nic­a­tion channels: Com­mu­nic­a­tion channels within the machine-to-machine system should be optimised based on rules for trans­mis­sion errors, delays, and network costs.

Machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion has more ad­vant­ages beyond faster trans­mis­sion methods and the ability to schedule data transfers. These include remote control of devices, reduced need for main­ten­ance, pre­ven­tion of outages, and sub­sequent cost savings. Machine-to-machine also creates new business op­por­tun­it­ies for IT services and enables companies to improve main­ten­ance and customer services in existing lines of business.

M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion is fre­quently used for remote control ap­plic­a­tions in logistics. For example, a vending machine can notify the sales de­part­ment that an item is in short supply so that it can be re­plen­ished in time. M2M is also used in inventory man­age­ment, in ware­houses, and for supply chain mon­it­or­ing.

Energy companies use machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion to read meters and bill customers. They can also use sensor data to monitor all devices and ensure con­tinu­ity of service. In the health­care industry, doctors can use M2M tech­no­logy to monitor a patient’s heartbeat or other vital signs in real time, even if the patient is not phys­ic­ally present.

Mobile payment services use a com­bin­a­tion of the Internet of Things, ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence, and machine learning. A growing number of consumers are adopting this tech­no­logy and use e-wallets such as Google Wallet or Apple Pay. Similarly, there are many ways of using M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion in smart homes to control lighting, turn elec­tric­al ap­pli­ances on or off, or auto­mat­ic­ally create shopping lists.

Online marketing is closely connected to M2M com­mu­nic­a­tion. As mentioned above, the process of web crawling by search engines is one example of machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion. However, this tech­no­logy is also important for paid ads on social media sites or search engines. To show these ads, al­gorithms choose options from a huge set of possible data. During this process, the al­gorithms com­mu­nic­ate with machines that supply them with this data. These could be ads that you enter in your Google Ads account or the server that hosts your website.

Machine-to-machine com­mu­nic­a­tion also comes into play when we use web services to shop online, watch movies, or make ap­point­ments. During these processes, the client and server send requests and responses back and forth.

Ap­plic­a­tion servers are the most common example of how freel­an­cers or small busi­nesses use M2M on a daily basis. These servers are part of a client-server network that the business and its employees or customers use to directly access ap­plic­a­tions such as Microsoft Office or contact man­age­ment software. Ap­plic­a­tion servers also allow companies to perform trans­ac­tions, exchange data, manage databases, or host their own web server.

For all of these functions, there are special ap­plic­a­tions that can be installed on the server. You can also easily access a data-exchange server from your PC just as you would access an ad­di­tion­al folder. Before you can do this, you have to be connected to the network of the server.