Edge vs cloud computing

Edge processing runs on the device itself or a local gateway: control loops, safety interlocks, local AI inference, data filtering and buffering. It keeps working when the internet doesn't, responds in milliseconds and keeps sensitive data on site. Cloud processing aggregates data from many devices for dashboards, analytics, model training, fleet management and integrations.

Most products need both, and the key design question is which functions must survive a network outage. Anything safety-related or time-critical belongs at the edge.

Where it bites: depending on the cloud for core functions turns outages, discontinued services or a vendor's failure into bricked products, while pushing everything to the edge raises hardware cost and complicates updates. Data volume matters too: streaming raw high-rate sensor data to the cloud is expensive.