Edge devices in "reference IOT architecture" diagram

[marty-optum]

My understanding is that if someone has an IoT Edge device, that IoT edge device is basically a place where you could run cloud functions on the local network. This IoT Edge device could also act as a gateway for other IoT devices on that network. In other words, if those other IoT devices needed cloud services, they would direct their requests to the IoT Edge device. That Edge device could either handle the request for cloud services itself (on the Edge), or it would proxy these request to actual cloud services.

If this understanding is correct, then I think the following diagrams in 4-trigger-fruit-detector lesson should reverse the position of Edge Device and Device in the Things column such that the Edge Device is the Thing that is communicating with components in the Insights column. In addition, within the Things column, the Edge Device, rather than the normal IoT device with the sensor, should be the component that connects to any AI services.

Trigger Fruit Quality Detection Sketchnote

Reference IoT Architecture diagram

If my understanding is not correct, please advise so that I (and potentially other readers) can clear up their confusion.

[FMartull]

Hello @marty-optum,

Reading this documentation: Azure IoT device types I understand that Microsoft considers Edge devices as Device: The physical devices that connect to IoT Hub are defined as either IoT Devices or IoT Edge Devices (...) IoT Edge device can be used as a field gateway device among other things.

In my understanding there is an arrow missing in the diagram, from the Edge Device to the "Cloud", as the one already goes from Device to the Cloud. The communication can be either way, via an Edge Device or without it, not being a mandatory element in the architecture.

I am way behind you in the course (still lesson four) so my understanding may evolve in the next lessons, and clearly these conversations help :-)

Cheers,
Martull

[FMartull]

From MS Learn we see that both Device and Edge Device can communicate with the Gateway