The growing number of IoT hardware and software types, as well as the stiff competition in the industry, also means there is a growing need for testing. However, IoT testing is probably one of the most difficult things for software testing companies. It requires a huge base of physical equipment with deep experience from the QA’s side. They should have profound knowledge regarding smart devices, IoT systems, and IoT test environments.
At TestFort, we check IoT software applying proven IoT testing tools and approaches, among which are compatibility, security, beta, usability, and performance testing types. They ensure that IoT software offers the perfect user experience and runs smoothly through a variety of smart devices and platforms. Here is how our IoT testing strategy looks like today.
Compatibility testing
When developing IoT software, it is important to understand that applications of such kind will be running on innovative types of devices. Thus, compatibility testing should be a major priority in any IoT testing strategy to protect the software from vulnerabilities and system failures.
A testing team that works with IoT should possess a well-equipped testing laboratory tailored to the needs of IoT testing. If the team lacks this capacity, it is reasonable to provide the QA team with all the necessary pieces of equipment or take advantage of cloud environments. They allow testers to check applications on cloud servers that enable the simulation of missing IoT devices.
Security testing
Since IoT software requires a large amount of data for applications to operate well, IoT security testing is essential for the development of a reliable testing strategy. It includes three main levels of testing:
- Testing of IoT devices. It ensures that devices for which an IoT application is developed are protected from breaches related to APIs, authentication, updates, setting configurations, etc.
- Network testing. It protects an IoT application from potential attacks on the network layer.
- System testing. It guarantees that user data is in a safe place and well-protected from leakage and hacking.
With a well-developed IoT testing strategy concerning the security of IoT applications at hand, testers ensure that IoT software can store user data without unexpected issues and vulnerabilities. As a result, software with a high level of protection draws more attention from users and builds greater confidence.
Usability testing
Usability testing makes the IoT testing process more efficient and user-friendly. It ensures that the end-user will get easy-to-use and intuitive software, where all graphic elements are in the right places and are visually attractive. As a user receives data to IoT devices in real time, interfaces of IoT software should be manageable and informative. Testers need to pay a lot of attention to whether an IoT application is perceptive and configurable enough.
Since smart software differs in its specifications from that which is developed for the usual web, desktop, or mobile devices, this testing type plays a significant role in the general IoT testing strategy.
Performance testing
Performance testing helps to test IoT applications for their speed within environments with large data loads. Testers can simulate large loads with the help of cloud platforms and also should create non-standard scenarios to check a program through sophisticated work conditions.
In most cases, the performance part of the IoT testing strategy should include the following parameters:
- Test cases that increase the number of devices from a few to a thousand or more;
- Modeling the interaction of devices and IoT sensors;
- Continuous simulation of data exchange between devices;
- Notifications, requests, and responses are sent and received in a proper form, etc.
Performance testing requires a detailed test plan, practical and sophisticated test cases, and a high-priority status for performance issues from the QA team.
Beta testing
This testing type requires the development of realistic scenarios for IoT testing. It helps them to simulate user behavior before the final version of the IoT application is unveiled and increases the chances of a successful release. It also helps business owners to reduce the costs of fixing bugs since the detected failures and usability issues have been caught during the beta testing stage, not when the software is already in active use.
Final thoughts
Applying the above-mentioned IoT testing types, the IoT testing strategy can be applied throughout all stages of software development. That way, it will bring businesses maximum profit and benefits. A high-grade IoT product will be appreciated by users and can open new channels for the company’s growth. Contact us to discuss anything related to testing your IoT product or other aspects of software testing.
