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Azure IoT Hub VS Azure IoT Central

Compare Azure IoT Hub VS Azure IoT Central and see what are their differences

Azure IoT Hub logo Azure IoT Hub

Manage billions of IoT devices with Azure IoT Hub, a cloud platform that lets you easily connect, monitor, provision, and configure IoT devices.

Azure IoT Central logo Azure IoT Central

Build and manage enterprise IoT solutions with Azure IoT Central, an end-to-end application platform to quickly connect millions of devices.
  • Azure IoT Hub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-25
  • Azure IoT Central Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-11

Azure IoT Hub features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure IoT Hub can handle millions of simultaneously connected devices, making it highly scalable for large IoT deployments.
  • Integration with Microsoft Azure
    It integrates seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure Blob Storage, providing a comprehensive solution for IoT applications.
  • Security Features
    Azure IoT Hub offers robust security features, including device authentication, per-device identity, and secure data transfer, ensuring a high level of security for IoT solutions.
  • Bi-Directional Communication
    Supports bi-directional communication between devices and the cloud, allowing for immediate feedback and control.
  • Device Management
    Provides extensive device management capabilities, such as provisioning, configuration, and firmware updates, which simplifies managing a large number of devices.
  • Real-Time Data Ingestion
    Allows for real-time data ingestion and processing, which is critical for time-sensitive IoT applications.

Possible disadvantages of Azure IoT Hub

  • Complexity
    The extensive set of features and customizations can make the initial setup and onboarding process complex and time-consuming.
  • Cost
    Can be costly for small-scale deployments, especially if you are leveraging multiple Azure services in conjunction with IoT Hub.
  • Learning Curve
    Requires a steep learning curve for developers who are not already familiar with Microsoft Azure and its ecosystem.
  • Dependence on Other Azure Services
    While integration with other Azure services is a pro, it can also be a con as it may necessitate additional services and expenses.
  • Geographical Limitations
    Some services and features may not be available in all geographical regions, which could limit functionality based on location.
  • Latency
    While generally low, latency could be an issue depending on the geographical distance between the IoT devices and the Azure data centers.

Azure IoT Central features and specs

  • Simplified Deployment
    Azure IoT Central offers an easy-to-use, fully managed interface that simplifies the deployment of IoT solutions without requiring deep cloud expertise.
  • Scalability
    The platform supports scalable solutions, allowing users to start with small projects and expand as needed without significant infrastructure changes.
  • Security
    Integrated security features such as data encryption, secure connectivity, and role-based access control help protect IoT data and devices.
  • Integration Capabilities
    IoT Central integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, enabling users to leverage existing Azure resources for enhanced functionality.
  • Cost Management
    The pay-as-you-go pricing model helps manage costs effectively by only charging for the resources used, reducing unnecessary expenses for small-scale projects.

Possible disadvantages of Azure IoT Central

  • Limited Customization
    While it simplifies IoT solutions, the predefined templates and managed service architecture may limit in-depth customization for more complex solutions.
  • Dependency on Microsoft Ecosystem
    Azure IoT Central is deeply integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem, which can be a limitation if integration with non-Microsoft platforms is required.
  • Price Variability
    Despite the pay-as-you-go model, costs can become unpredictable or high in scenarios with large-scale deployments or extensive data usage.
  • Learning Curve
    Although designed for simplicity, there is still a learning curve involved in understanding the platform's capabilities and how to effectively utilize them.
  • Feature Limitations
    Some advanced features available in other Azure IoT offerings (like Azure IoT Hub) might not be fully supported or available, limiting some advanced use cases.

Azure IoT Hub videos

Azure Friday | Azure IoT Hub

More videos:

  • Review - How Does Azure IoT Hub Work?

Azure IoT Central videos

Connect Industrial Sensors to Microsoft Azure IoT Central — Plug&Play

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Central)
IoT Platform
66 66%
34% 34
Data Dashboard
67 67%
33% 33
Analytics
63 63%
37% 37
IoT
63 63%
37% 37

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Central

Azure IoT Hub Reviews

We have no reviews of Azure IoT Hub yet.
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Azure IoT Central Reviews

14 of the Best IoT Platforms to Watch in 2021
Azure IoT Central by Microsoft is another big IoT platform which can scale from developer-centric prototypes to large industrial scale applications. With quick cloud connectivity, centralized visualization, and a simple plug-and-play infrastructure, Azure IoT Central is a significant force to reckon with. We have tutorials of Azure IoT Edge for both Windows and Linux.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure IoT Hub seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure IoT Hub mentions (3)

  • Looking for Microsoft Azure based alternative to Adafruit IO Feeds
    Sure MS has a product. It's more expensive and harder to use, though...Azure IOT hub - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/iot-hub. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Getting Started With Azure IoT Hub
    Azure IoT Hub is a managed cloud service which provides bi-directional communication between the cloud and IoT devices. It is a platform as a service for building IoT solutions. Being an azure offering, it has security and scalability built-in as well as making it easy to integrate with other Azure services. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • How to get the EK and Registration ID from a TPM 2.0 module on Raspian
    I am currently working on an IoT Project for my Bachelor's thesis. The goal is to gather data from an existing machine and send it to an Azure cloud via AMQP. To do this I have set up an IoT Hub and will be using the Azure IoT Edge runntime to connect and send the Data. For initial development, I have authenticated my devices to the cloud using symmetric keys generated by the IoT hub. Now I want to switch to... Source: over 3 years ago

Azure IoT Central mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Azure IoT Central yet. Tracking of Azure IoT Central recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Central, you can also consider the following products

ThingSpeak - Open source data platform for the Internet of Things. ThingSpeak Features

Blynk.io - We make internet of things simple

AWS IoT - Easily and securely connect devices to the cloud.

Particle.io - Particle is an IoT platform enabling businesses to build, connect and manage their connected solutions.

AWS Greengrass - Local compute, messaging, data caching, and synch capabilities for connected devices

Altair SmartWorks - Altair SmartWorks is a platform designed for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine (M2M) projects.