C25 1 hr 30 min
Emerging OS landscape
Compare ten operating systems used across sensors, gateways, wearables, and routers.
The ten OSes
| OS | Typical target | Key characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| TinyOS | Wireless sensor networks | Component-based, event-driven, very small footprint |
| Contiki | IoT sensor nodes | Open source, protothreads, 6LoWPAN |
| RIOT | IoT devices | Real-time, multi-threading, low memory |
| Ubuntu Core | Edge devices and gateways | Snap-based, transactional updates |
| Fuchsia OS | Google devices | Microkernel (Zircon), capability-based |
| Windows 10 IoT | Industrial and edge Windows devices | Windows ecosystem and device management |
| Tizen | Wearables, TVs, appliances | Linux-based, web and native apps |
| Android Things | Embedded Android devices | Android APIs on IoT hardware (legacy) |
| OpenWrt | Routers and gateways | Linux router firmware with a package manager |
| Mbed OS | ARM Cortex-M devices | Arm IoT OS with connectivity stacks |
How to choose
Start with the constraint that matters most:
- Power and memory — TinyOS, Contiki, RIOT, Mbed OS.
- Gateway or edge compute — Ubuntu Core, OpenWrt, Windows 10 IoT.
- Consumer device ecosystem — Tizen, Fuchsia, Android Things.
Check your understanding
- Which OS would you choose for a battery-powered sensor? Why?
- What makes OpenWrt a natural fit for a gateway?