1. I am not (always) able to make the regular class time. What should I do?
Live attendance of each class session is highly recommended, but not required to finish this course. The video recordings of the class will be made available to all registered class members before the weekend for you to view or review.
Note that attending class live gives you a more focused learning time and the opportunity to interact with the instructor and other students.
2. I only have time on weekends. Do I have to attend the live classes to finish the course?
You can use the video recordings, tutorial materials, and the documentation provided to maintain the pace with the live class. If most of your sessions are done offline, make sure you stay involved with the class via:
1) Slack
2) Scheduling office hours with us to discuss your progress and challenges
3) The class bulletin published in the TQLOne space
Lack of engagement will lead to us removing your seat because they are short in supply.
3. Hardware is new to me. Will I find this course difficult?
The goal of this course is not to teach hardware or embedded software. The goal of this course is to teach software engineers to create IoT software applications.
The role of the hardware (sensors, sensor shields, controllers), the MCU (Arduino) and the Raspberry Pi in this course is to give you a realistic environment and set up in terms of how and where your IoT applications will be running, and what interactions, even exceptions, you may encounter from the perspective of a software application. It is a “must-experience”, but not a “must-master” skill.
In order to reduce the challenges of working new with hardware, we provide:
1) The sketches required on the MCUs so you don’t have to write your own (available for every class member)
2) The assembled IoT Kit with software installed and pins plugged in (as an option if you with to buy from us). If you come from a less technical background, we highly recommend that you get the assembled IoT Kit from us. For more information, go to this link.
4. The hardware required seems expensive to me. What should I do?
First, keep in mind that working with a minimum set of hardware is important for you to get to know the IoT domain.
If you find the cost hard to afford, we suggest you team up with others near you by location. Even if you are sharing the hardware, it is important for everyone on the team to have the real (physical) access to them when needed.
5. How much time do I need to spend on this course?
As with learning any new domain, a certain amount of time both learning and practicing is required to get momentum.
We suggest that you spend a minimum of 4-5 hours a week. So in addition to the 90 minutes class time, you should spend another 3+ hours working with the software and the devices.
Some students put in more time, anywhere between 10 to 40 hours a week. This decision is up to you.
We think a total of 50 hours is needed get to the beginner level. Of the 50 hours, half could be spent on devices – however that is the necessary investment every person new to IoT will have to make.
6. From where can I find documentation? How should I use documentation?
The TQL documentation as well as the tutorial materials are on this wiki.
You should fully utilize the documentation to learn about the constructs and concepts covered in the class sessions. This will be time well spent after the class. The wiki is searchable.
7. Why does my TQLStudio account show “you are using a guest account”?
Currently we only provide full access (to download TQLEngine) to those who are engaged in the class. If we have not removed this restriction on your account after the first class, contact me on Slack.
8. I am primarily interested in the simulation capability of TQL. Do I need to attend all the classes?
Yes, you should attend the classes from the beginning, even though simulation is only covered in the middle of the course. The same language and constructs introduced in the sessions related to real devices will be used in simulation. In the session on simulation, the scheduling capability will be introduced.
9. Should I work as one or find a team?
This is up to you. Being in a team has the following benefits:
1) Help cover the broad range of skills involved in an IoT application
2) Share the work of the class projects
3) Get to know and work with someone
Working on your own has the following benefits:
1) You are in charge of your own time. No need to coordinate
2) You are in control of your own hardware
3) You can decide your own project scope
10. What is Slack for?
You should join tqler.slack.com and use it for:
1) Reach our support team for support
2) Ask questions to support team or anyone else
3) See what questions and answers have been going on with other tqlers
4) Stay engaged with other class members
5) Use it to have fun from time to time
11. Do I need to buy all the minimal hardware?
It is strongly recommended that you get the minimal hardware. The class project requires you to have at least one sensor and one actuator running. See the mid-term and final project requirements.
12. Some of the hardware components are arriving late. What should I do?
The first session is an introduction. We will not get into the devices until May 17th. The first set of things you need is the Raspberry Pi, Arduino and the temperature sensor.
Don’t let hardware stall your learning in case some devices are taking long. Reach out to us and we can guide you in terms of your learning in that case.
13. I don’t code and it is not my goal to do coding in IoT. What is expected of me from this class?
This is an engineering class for IoT. We teach IoT software development in TQL. If this is not your goal, there are some alternative goals you can set for yourself:
(1) Order the pre-assembled kit from Atomiton. Being able to run basic commands following instructions, import the tutorial projects and get them to run.
(2) Follow the classes and understand how architecturally each component work.
(3) Run the queries included in the projects and see how they interact with things. Modify the queries and find out what happens.
A final project is required to graduate from this class with a certification. If you will not be able to do or contribute to a mid-term and final project, please send me (Jane) a direct email or message and let me know.
14. If I am not able to spend enough time on this course, can I attend future classes?
Let’s face it, for most of us, “I don’t have enough time this month” translates to I never seem to have enough time. You should make a decision on how much time you are willing to commit to learning this subject and remove the contextual barriers if it is important to you.
If you do really have something temporary going on, you can contact me and ask to transfer to the next class. However, as the number of applicants increases, we are not able to guarantee that future classes will remain free as this batch.
15. As a software engineer, why is my IoT training starting from the hardware?
Some enterprise IoT software engineers may rarely have to touch real hardware, because the hardware related roles are played by other departments or teams. However, working hands-on with some hardware is essential in getting a realistic understanding of the world of things. It also gives you more credibility and confidence when you interface with the hardware teams.
16. Why do I need to do mid-term project demo?
We will ask you to demo your mid-term project to the class so that:
1) We know (and you know) that you are on pace with the progress of the class
2) Everyone can benefit from sharing with each other as an important part of the learning experience.
17. Why do I need to submit a final project?
We use the final project to assess that you have met the skill criteria to graduate and receive the TQL IoT Certificate.
In addition, your final project can be submitted for the TQLOne Competition.
18. The Wiki has more tutorials than covered in the class schedule. What should I do with them?
If you have the capacity, we encourage you to review the additional tutorials. Both written content and videos are available.
19. Is the software free?
The TQLEngine software will be free for download and development for all of you who actively participate in the class. Currently this access is not given to anyone who is not attending the class.
Meeting the graduation criteria will give you another year of free development license.
The TQLStudio (the IDE) is a cloud-based service. Anyone can access it for free.
20. Where would my data be stored?
When you download and run TQLEngine in your environment, your runtime data will be in your system, not on our cloud.
When you use TQLStudio to create your project, your project content (the models and queries definition, etc.) will be stored securely on our cloud. You can export your projects to local.
If you use our sandbox environment to try some sample project, the sample project data will be in the sandbox environment.
21. What is the difference between the TQLEngine running on the cloud and the TQLEngine running on the Raspberry Pi?
There is no difference in terms of the binary code of the software running. Each instance of the TQLEngine may be executing different Models as defined by your project. And they may be communicating with each other based on your project.
22. What is the requirement for TQLEngine to run?
JDK 1.8
23. Why should I join the LinkedIn group for the class?
Our classes come from extremely diverse background, driving by the same interest. The LinkedIn group is a good platform to:
1) During class: connect with each other; form teams; share content;
2) After class: stay connected and help each other often
24. What are the most important learning points in this course?
You can see the list of tutorials and their schedule here.
You can see the skill requirement here.
25. How often do you release TQLEngine?
Our release rhythm is once a month.
26. I tried to install TQLEngine and ran into errors. What should I do?
Reach out to us on Slack (you should have received an invitation). Use the #support channel for your technical issues. Use the #quick-question channel for, well, quick questions.
If things are tough to resolve, we can set up 1:1 call with you to help you through. So no need to worry.
27. Can I try different hardware than suggested?
Yes, you certainly can. If you stay within the supported protocol families, it will be easier to integrate them. If you choose outside of the current supported protocols, you will need our help extending protocol handlers. In the learning phase, we recommend you stay with covered protocols. Once you get the skills, everything is possible.
28. I am not a UI developer, but the mid-term and final projects require a UI component. What should I do?
You have two alternatives:
(1) Team up with someone who has UI skills
(2) We provide code of a sample UI app (in tutorial #10). You can use it and customize as UI for your project.
29. What about the TQLOne competition?
A total amount of $7,500 will be award to the top 3 winners in this competition. You can submit your same class project for this competition. The main participants are from Class1-3. More information is here.
30. Who has taken this course?
Engineers from Fortune 100 companies and from world's leading technology and industrial conglomerates have taken the course.