Sending less.
WHAT TO TRANSMIT
Changes, not states Exceptions, not routine values Summaries, not raw samples
WHY THAT ORDER
Each reduces volume by an order of magnitude.
WHAT REPORT-BY-EXCEPTION MEANS
Transmitting only when a value crosses a threshold or changes meaningfully.
WHAT IT REQUIRES
A heartbeat, so silence is distinguishable from failure.
WHY THAT IS ESSENTIAL
Without it, a dead device looks identical to a stable one.
WHAT COMPACT ENCODING PROVIDES
Substantially smaller messages than text formats.
WHAT OPTIONS EXIST
Binary formats with defined schemas Compact structured formats Custom encoding, for extreme constraints
WHAT TO AVOID
Verbose text formats on constrained links Repeating static information in every message Timestamps at unnecessary precision
WHAT TO SEND INSTEAD OF FULL TIMESTAMPS
Offsets from a known reference, where precision allows.
WHAT AGGREGATION AT THE DEVICE PROVIDES
One message containing many readings.
WHY THAT IS CHEAPER
Per-message overhead dominates on small payloads.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Bytes per device per day, against the plan allowance.
WHAT TO ALERT ON
Consumption far above expectation.
