Packet Tracer 8.2- IoT devices configuration

: Last Updated: 12 September 2023

Things and Components available in Packet Tracer 8.2

In addition to classical network devices such as routers and switches available in the previous versions, Packet Tracer 8.2 Components Box now contains a wide variety of Smart Things and components :

Smart Things are physical objects that can connect to the Registration Server or Home Gateway through a network interface. They are separated into 4 subcategories : Home, Smart City, Industrial, and Power Grid.
Components are physical objects that connect to microcontroller (MCU-PT) or single boarded computers (SBC-PT). They typically does not have a network interface and rely on the MCU-PT or SBC-PT for network access. These are simple devices that only communicate through their analog or digital slots.

There are three subcategories for Components :

Boards: microcontrollers (MCU-PT), single boarded computers (SBC-PT), and a special device called Thing which are used to create self-contained physical objects like coffee makers or smoke alarms.
Actuators: these components manipulate the Environment, themselves, or the area around them.
Sensors: these components sense the Environment (photo detectors, temperature sensor), the area around them (RFID, metal sensor), or interactions (potentiometer, push button).

MQTT protocol and applications have been added in Packet Tracer since version 7.1 to improve communications between IoT devices

IoE registration server

The IoE Things can directly register on a Home Gateway or on a Server device configured with the IoE service.

The Home Gateway provides 4 ethernet ports as well as a wireless access point configured with the "HomeGateway" ssid on channel 6. WEP / WPA-PSK / WPA2 enterprise can be configured to secure wireless connections. The picture below shows 4 IOE Things attached to a Home Gateway The Home Gateway is connected to the Internet through it's Internet WAN ethernet port.

The IoE Things can be remotely managed through a web interface hosted by the Home Gateway. The Home Gateway internal (LAN) IP address is 192.168.25.1 but it can also be accessed through it's Internet facing IP address (not configured in this lab, configuration done with a wifi connected laptop). The following screenshot displays the status of the 4 IOE Thngs connected to the gateway.

Home Gateway login (web) : admin
Home Gateway password : admin

IoT Things status in Home Gateway web interface

IoE components in Packet Tracer 8.2

Connecting IoE components

As they don't have ethernet interface, IoE components can't be directly connected to the Home Gateway. These smaller sensors or actuators are connected to a microcontrollers (MCU-PT) card. The MCU-PT is connected to the gateway which only sees the microcontroller board but not the IoE components. The Home Gateway relies on the remote control API eventually programmed on the MCU-PT to get the sensor's status.

Packet Tracer 7 - MCU board connected to Home Gateway

Real world MCU are for example Arduino boards like the Arduino Yún Shield

No IoT device status returned by the MCU-PT

Programming IoE components

An IoE programming editor is included in the Home Gateway web interface. It allows Javascript or Python programming of the MCU-PT microcontroller. Code is programmed through the web interface and then published to the MCU board. The following sample code makes the led connected to the digital0 port blink.

function setup() {
	pinMode(1, OUTPUT);
	Serial.println("Blinking");
}

function loop() {
	digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
	delay(1000);
	digitalWrite(0, LOW);
	delay(500);
}

Packet Tracer 7 IoT javascript sample program

As you can see on the screenshot below, Packet Tracer 8.0 emulates Arduino integrated development environment (IDE) for IoT objects programming.

Arduino IDE - IoT led blinking script

Things interacting with Packet Tracer 8.2 simulated environment

Packet Tracer features a dynamic environent management (temperature, gas, pressure, light, ...) to make IoT device simulation more realistic. Many devices or Things affect or respond to the environment in Packet Tracer : a Fire Sprinkler will raise the water level and humidity in a container, an old car will increase various gases and ambient temperature when turned on, a smoke detector can be used to trigger an alarm when the smoke in environment increases to a certain point...

The table below lists all the things available in Packet Tracer 8.1.1 and their behaviors with respect to the simulated environment :

Thing	Icon	Environment Behavior
ATM Pressure Sensor		Detects the Atmospheric Pressure and displays it. The default detection range is from 0 to 110 kPa.
Carbon Dioxide Detector		Detects Carbon Dioxide.
Carbon Monoxide Detector		Detects Carbon Monoxide.
Door		Affects Argon, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, Helium, Methane, Nitrogen, O2, Ozone, Propane, and Smoke. When the door is opened, those gases will decrease to a maximum of 2% in total change. When the door is opened, the rate of transference for Humidity and Temperature is increased by 25%. The rate of transference for gases is increased by 100%.
Fan		Affects Wind Speed, Humidity, and Ambient Temperature. At Low Speed Setting, the Wind Speed is set to 0.4 kph. The rate of cooling the Ambient Temperature is set to -1C/hour. The rate of reducing the Humidity is set to -1% per hour. At High Speed Setting, the Wind Speed is set to 0.8 kph. The rates of change for Ambient Temperature and Humidity is two times of the low setting.
Fire Sprinkler, Ceiling Sprinkler		Affects Water Level at a rate of 0.1 cm per second. Affects Humidity at a rate of 5% per hour.
Garage Door		Affects Argon, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, Helium, Methane, Nitrogen, O2, Ozone, Propane, and Smoke. When the door is opened, those gases will decrease to a maximum of 4% in total change. When the door is opened, the rate of transference for Humidity and Temperature is increased by 50%. The rate of transference for gases is increased by 100%.
Home Speaker, Speaker		Affects Sound Volume at 65 dB. Affects Sound Pitch at 20 CPS to 60 CPS. Affects White Noise at 20%.
Humidifier		Affects Humidity at a rate of 1% per hour.
Humidity Sensor		Detects Humidity.
Humiture Monitor, Humiture Sensor		Detects Ambient Temperature and Humidity and outputs the value as a sum of the Ambient Temperature and Humidity divided by 2.
Lawn Sprinkler, Floor Sprinkler		Affects Water Level at a rate of 0.1 cm per second. Affects Humidity at a rate of 5% per hour.
LED		Affects Visible Light with a maximum output of 1%.
Light		Affects Visible Light with a maximum output of 20%.
Old Car		Affects Carbon Monoxide at a rate of 1% per hour. Affects Carbon Dioxide at a rate of 2% per hour. Affects Smoke at a rate of 3% per hour. Affects Ambient Temperature at a rate of 1% per hour.
Photo Sensor		Detects Visible Light.
Piezo Speaker		Affects Sound Volume at 10 dB. Affects Sound Pitch 20 CPS.
RGB LED		Affects Visible Light with a maximum output of 2%.
Smart LED, Dimmable LED		Affects Visible Light with a maximum output of 3%.
Smoke Detector, Smoke Sensor		Detects Smoke.
Solar Panel		Detects Sunlight to generate electricity.
Temperature Monitor		Detects Ambient Temperature.
Temperature Sensor		Detects Ambient Temperature.
Water Level Monitor, Water Detector		Detects Water Level.
Wind Sensor		Detects Wind Speed.
Wind Turbine		Detects Wind Speed to generate electricity.
Window		Affects Argon, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, Helium, Methane, Nitrogen, O2, Ozone, Propane, and Smoke. When the door is opened, those gases will decrease to a maximum of 1% in total change. When the door is opened, the rate of transference for Humidity and Temperature is increased by 20%. The rate of transference for gases is increased by 100%.
Drain Actuator		Affects Water Level at a rate of -0.5 cm per second.
Sound Frequency Detector		Detects Sound Pitch and displays it.
Furnace, Heating Element		Affects Humidity at a rate of -2% per hour. Affects Ambient Temperature at a rate of 10°C per hour.
AC, Air Cooler		Affects Humidity at a rate of -2% per hour. Affects Ambient Temperature at a rate of -10°C per hour.