IoT Projects: What Is Fog Computing vs Cloud Computing

The Internet of Things or IoT is one of the most fantastic tools to ever grace the technological world. The technology enables normal gadgets to become smart. We can control them via a cloud and through our smartphones over the internet. So, as IoT becomes more popular, our demands from cloud servers also become different. We need better and more diverse servers and the debate of fog computing vs cloud computing emerges. The more IoT devices there are, the better cloud and fogging servers we would need.

IoT devices are not only innovative but are also very practical. They can make our daily life’s mundane tasks easier. That is why their growing popularity is not surprising to anyone. According to Statista, there could be over 30 billion active IoT connections by the year 2025. And if the world isn’t prepared for that change, then it’s going to be our loss.

Why Is Fog Computing vs Cloud Computing Important?

The world is seeing an unprecedented increase in cloud-based computing and IoT. This has been made possible because of faster internet connections such as Spectrum internet and reliable devices. The more we get closer to a completely digital world, the better our cloud servers will have to be.

The minute you wake up and turn your IoT-based alarm clock off, you are essentially creating bits of data. These bits have to be transferred to either a cloud or processed on a standalone server. So, fog computing might be necessary to process the copious amounts of data we produce every day.

What Is Cloud Computing?

To understand fog computing vs cloud computing we need to talk about the cloud-first. Most people are now familiar with the word “cloud” and understand what it means other than the fluffy, white object in the sky. A cloud is a technical term for multiple devices such as computers, laptops, phones, and servers that are connected to each other over the internet.

There are two ends of this process. One is the front end which could be your client’s devices such as a laptop or phone. The backend is the cloud itself and can consist of servers that can store and process large amounts of data.

Cloud Computing Services

There are three different services that cloud computing can offer:

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
SaaS (Software as a Service)

So, if you are in a Spectrum service area, and have an internet connection, you can connect to these services through an internet connection easily. Hence, the general availability and complete reliance on the vendor might be the most common advantages of clouds.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

The cloud sounds like the most reliable way to store and process data from IoT devices and servers. However, there are some cons as well.

Pros	Cons
It improves the performance and communication between data-processing systems and IoT servers.	Distance between client devices and servers means increased latency.
The storage capacity is scalable and you can store a lot of data on reliable servers.	Internet-based systems can malfunction at any time due to an outage.
It reduces costs as compared to on-premises servers.	The servers have to be reinforced because of cybersecurity threats.

What Is Fog Computing?

Fog Computing is also known as Fogging and is an extension of cloud computing. You can understand the difference in these terms from their literal meanings as well. As fog is closer to the earth, so are the fog computing servers closer to the client’s devices. So, fog computing brings clouds closer to the earth and is essentially edge nodes connected to physical devices.

So, we can also say that fog computing is a step closer to edge computing and it is how edge systems should work. The nodes in fog computing are much closer to the end-user as compared to the central data processing servers. Moreover, these nodes can process a large amount of data on their own and don’t have to send it to an external server. As a result, it can help in reducing latency by a fair margin.

Pros and Cons of Fog Computing

You can use Spectrum WiFi for IoT devices but how you process the data you produce can differ based on the technology that you use. So, here are some pros and cons of fog computing you should know:

Pros	Cons
It reduces latency as the distance between client devices and fog is a lot less.	Edge devices like routers and gateways can get expensive.
The data is transferred over a distributed bandwidth as we don’t have to transfer it to the same center.	The fog adds an additional layer of data processing and can make it more complicated.
It is extremely power-efficient and reduces potential cybersecurity risks.	It is not as scalable in terms of storage capacity as the cloud.

The fog computing vs cloud computing debate can have different results depending upon your needs and requirements. For instance, if you want quicker data processing, then you should opt for fog. However, if you want to store a large amount of data, then clouds can be the best choice for you.

FAQs

What are fog computing’s advantages and disadvantages?

Refer to the second table in the text.

What kind of cloud is fog?

Fog is an extension of the cloud and is physically closer to the end-user.

What are the characteristics of fog computing?

Refer to the heading “What is Fog Computing” in the text.

Why do we use fog computing?

Fog computing can reduce latency, bandwidth consumption, and the amount of data sent to the cloud for processing.

How is mist computing related to cloud and fog computing?

Cloud computing focuses on the air between client devices and servers, fog computing connects the infrastructure in between, while mist computing occurs at the edge of the network at the level of the sensor and end-users.