MCA 235 Internet of Things Notes cover all 4 units of the GGSIPU MCA Semester 3 Core Elective III paper in 92 pages, with 104 solved short answers, 50 long-answer questions, 37 Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Python programs and 50 diagrams. They follow the syllabus for students admitted from A.S. 2025-26 onwards.
Written by Prateek Talwar, Founder, Unnati Educations · Reviewed by Ritik Rawat, B.Tech, Senior Full Stack Developer · Checked against the official MCA scheme and syllabus PDF (ipu.ac.in), 13 October 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026 · Editorial policy
Scheme: MCA (2 years), A.S. 2025-26 onwards | Applies to: students admitted from A.S. 2025-26 | Verified against: MCA scheme and syllabus PDF (BoS 28/07/2025), 13 October 2026
MCA 235 Internet of Things at a glance: GGSIPU MCA Sem 3 credits, units and exam pattern
MCA-235 Internet of Things is one of eleven Core Elective III options in the third semester; the snapshot below is taken from the official GGSIPU MCA syllabus PDF, which you can open to verify every value.
| Code and title | MCA-235 Internet of Things |
|---|---|
| Course and semester | MCA (2 years), Semester 3 |
| Category | Core Elective III (choose any one of 11 papers, MCA-227 to MCA-247) |
| Credits and hours | 3 credits · L 3, T/P 0 · 10 hours per unit |
| Marks | 100 per paper, pass mark 40; internal/end-term split not printed in the official PDF |
| End-term pattern | Q1 compulsory short-answer, all units: 12 marks; then one of two questions per unit, 12 marks each (12 + 48 = 60 marks) |
| Applies to | Students admitted from A.S. 2025-26 onwards |
| Units and outcomes | 4 units · CO1 to CO5 |
| Pre-requisites | Basic knowledge of programming and data networking |
| Paired lab | No IoT lab code of its own; MCA-267 Lab based on Core Elective III (0-2, 1 credit) |
The other electives and labs are listed under GGSIPU MCA Semester 3 papers. Exams and results follow Ordinance 11.
MCA 235 Internet of Things Notes unit-wise: 104 solved short answers and 37 programs across 4 units
These diagram-led Internet of Things notes in English run to 92 pages. The official PDF does not name its units, so the names below are the notes' own; the sample PDF above shows one page per unit. Notes for the other MCA papers are listed under GGSIPU MCA notes.
MCA 235 Unit 1: Getting Familiar with IoT: Design, Enabling Technologies and the IoT Paradigm
Unit 1 (pages 5 to 27) covers the definition, characteristics and history of IoT (Kevin Ashton, 1999), physical and logical design (functional blocks, four communication models, REST and WebSocket APIs, IoT stack), enabling technologies, IoT Levels 1 to 6, SCADA, M2M and SDN, and the design methodology through a home-automation case study. It has 24 diagrams, 26 solved short answers, 14 long-answer questions and no programs.
| Basis | M2M | IoT |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols | Mostly non-IP: ZigBee, ModBus, M-Bus, Bluetooth | IP-based: HTTP, CoAP, MQTT, WebSocket |
| Data | Point solutions, often on-premises | Collected in public, private or hybrid cloud |
| Internet | Not always needed | Essential |
Quick look: IoT vs M2M (from page 20)
- Basis
- Protocols
- M2M
- Mostly non-IP: ZigBee, ModBus, M-Bus, Bluetooth
- IoT
- IP-based: HTTP, CoAP, MQTT, WebSocket
- Basis
- Data
- M2M
- Point solutions, often on-premises
- IoT
- Collected in public, private or hybrid cloud
- Basis
- Internet
- M2M
- Not always needed
- IoT
- Essential
MCA 235 Unit 2: IoT Protocols, Physical Design, Cloud for IoT and Fog Computing
Unit 2 (pages 28 to 48) covers Internet vs IoT layers, the messaging protocols (see the excerpt below), CoAP message types and Observe, BLE with GAP and GATT, Li-Fi, 6LoWPAN compression and edge routers, cloud storage models, cloud challenges, and fog vs cloud vs edge. It has 13 diagrams, 26 solved short answers and 12 long-answer questions.
| Basis | Cloud computing | Fog computing |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Centralised, remote data centres | Distributed, at the network edge near devices |
| Latency | High | Low |
| Distance from device | Multiple hops | One or a few hops |
Quick look: cloud vs fog computing (from page 43)
- Basis
- Location
- Cloud computing
- Centralised, remote data centres
- Fog computing
- Distributed, at the network edge near devices
- Basis
- Latency
- Cloud computing
- High
- Fog computing
- Low
- Basis
- Distance from device
- Cloud computing
- Multiple hops
- Fog computing
- One or a few hops
MCA 235 Unit 3: Physical Devices and Endpoints: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Sensors and Interfacing
Unit 3 (pages 49 to 70) covers the Arduino Uno pin diagram, ATmega328P architecture and setup()/loop() sketches; Raspberry Pi 4 architecture and 40-pin GPIO; sensor types; and wiring for DHT11, MQ-2, HC-05, HC-SR04 and ESP8266. It has 10 programs, 9 diagrams, 25 solved short answers and 12 long-answer questions.
| Basis | Arduino Uno | Raspberry Pi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Microcontroller board | Single-board computer |
| I/O voltage | 5 V | 3.3 V |
| Analog input | Yes, 6 x 10-bit ADC | No built-in ADC |
Quick look: Arduino Uno vs Raspberry Pi 4 (from page 57)
- Basis
- Type
- Arduino Uno
- Microcontroller board
- Raspberry Pi 4
- Single-board computer
- Basis
- I/O voltage
- Arduino Uno
- 5 V
- Raspberry Pi 4
- 3.3 V
- Basis
- Analog input
- Arduino Uno
- Yes, 6 x 10-bit ADC
- Raspberry Pi 4
- No built-in ADC
MCA 235 Unit 4: Logical Design of IoT using Python and Python Packages for IoT Devices
Unit 4 (pages 71 to 92) revises Python through sensor examples, then covers every package the syllabus names: pip, sys, time, json, requests, TCP and UDP sockets, PyBluez, Adafruit DHT and paho-mqtt. It has 27 program listings, 4 diagrams, 27 solved short answers and 12 long-answer questions.
Quick look: a sensor node sending JSON to a gateway over TCP (from page 84)
import socket, json
cli = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
cli.connect(("192.168.1.10", 5005))
cli.send(json.dumps({"node": "N1", "temp": 32.4}).encode())
print("Gateway says:", cli.recv(1024).decode())
cli.close()Output: Gateway says: FAN_ON (the gateway's reply).
MQTT publish-subscribe architecture in IoT: excerpt from page 30 of the MCA 235 notes
Excerpt from page 30
Why IoT needs new protocols
IoT devices have tiny memory, measured in kilobytes, low processing power, and often run on batteries for years over lossy, low-bandwidth links. HTTP over TCP is too heavy for them because of its large text headers and connection set-up, so lightweight protocols such as MQTT, CoAP and 6LoWPAN were designed.
Definition: MQTT
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight publish-subscribe messaging protocol that runs over TCP/IP. It is built for constrained devices and for networks that are low-bandwidth, high-latency or unreliable. Andy Stanford-Clark (IBM) and Arlen Nipper (Arcom) developed it in 1999 to monitor oil pipelines over satellite links. It is now an OASIS standard (MQTT 3.1.1 and MQTT 5.0). The default port is 1883, or 8883 with TLS.
MQTT architecture
MQTT has three components: publisher, broker and subscriber. Clients never talk to each other directly; every message passes through the broker. In the notes' diagram, a temperature sensor publishes the value 28.5 on the topic home/room1/temp, a Mosquitto or HiveMQ broker filters it by topic, and both a mobile app and an AC controller receive it.
- Publisher: a client that sends messages on a topic, for example a temperature sensor.
- Subscriber: a client that registers interest in one or more topics and receives every message published on them.
- Broker: the central server that receives all messages, filters them by topic and delivers them to subscribers. It also handles authentication, sessions and retained messages. Examples: Mosquitto, HiveMQ, EMQX, AWS IoT Core.
- Topic: a UTF-8 string with levels separated by
/, such ashome/kitchen/temperature. The wildcard+matches one level (home/+/temperature) and#matches many (home/#).
Features of MQTT
- Lightweight: the fixed header is only 2 bytes, so overhead is very low.
- Decoupling: publisher and subscriber are decoupled in space (they do not know each other), in time (they need not be online together when persistent sessions are used) and in synchronisation.
How to write MCA 235 answers: protocol comparison tables, IoT level diagrams and sensor programs
The notes' exam tips point to three answer shapes.
The comparison table
For MQTT vs CoAP, write eight or more rows plus two small diagrams (broker publish-subscribe, CoAP CON and ACK).
The checklist answer
For 6LoWPAN: full form, RFC 4944, the 127 vs 1280 byte problem, stack diagram, edge-router architecture, header compression and fragmentation. For fog computing: three-tier diagram, five-step working, characteristics and a fog vs cloud table, opening with Cisco's 2012 definition.
The design answer (CO5)
For a question such as "design a smart home safety system": a block diagram, a connection table for every module, one combined loop() with an if per sensor, and a line on level-shifting the 3.3 V RX pins of HC-05 and ESP8266.
Worked example: "Explain IoT levels"
- List the seven components first (device, resource, controller service, database, web service, analysis, application).
- For Levels 1 to 6, give two lines, a small diagram and the example: home automation, smart irrigation, package tracking, noise monitoring, forest-fire detection, weather monitoring.
- End with a summary table of where data is stored and analysed.
One slip to avoid: the notes label questions "2.5 Marks" and "12.5 Marks", but the 2025-26 pattern sets 12 marks per question, so plan length for 12. Practise these formats on GGSIPU MCA important questions.
MCA 235 exam corner: 104 solved short answers and 50 long-answer questions by unit
Long-answer questions point to the section that answers them. The notes carry no year tags, so these are exam-style questions.
| Unit | Solved short answers | Long-answer questions (with section pointers) | Program listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 26 | 14 | 0 |
| Unit 2 | 26 | 12 | 0 |
| Unit 3 | 25 | 12 | 10 |
| Unit 4 | 27 | 12 | 27 |
| Total | 104 | 50 | 37 |
MCA 235 notes: questions and programs by unit
- Unit
- Unit 1
- Solved short answers
- 26
- Long-answer questions (with section pointers)
- 14
- Program listings
- 0
- Unit
- Unit 2
- Solved short answers
- 26
- Long-answer questions (with section pointers)
- 12
- Program listings
- 0
- Unit
- Unit 3
- Solved short answers
- 25
- Long-answer questions (with section pointers)
- 12
- Program listings
- 10
- Unit
- Unit 4
- Solved short answers
- 27
- Long-answer questions (with section pointers)
- 12
- Program listings
- 27
- Unit
- Total
- Solved short answers
- 104
- Long-answer questions (with section pointers)
- 50
- Program listings
- 37
The MCA 235 notes solve 104 short-answer questions and list 50 long-answer questions across 4 units, plus 37 program listings.
One question per unit, with answer pointers:
- Unit 1: Why is IPv6 important for IoT? Pointer: 128-bit addresses give billions of devices unique global addresses; 32-bit IPv4 cannot.
- Unit 2: Why is header compression needed in 6LoWPAN? Pointer: a 127-byte 802.15.4 frame vs 48 bytes of IPv6 and UDP headers; IPHC cuts IPv6 to 2 bytes.
- Unit 3: Write the distance formula for HC-SR04. Pointer: (echo time × speed of sound) / 2, about duration in µs / 58 cm.
- Unit 4: Differentiate
loop_start()andloop_forever()in paho-mqtt. Pointer:loop_forever()blocks;loop_start()runs in a background thread.
More practice sits in the MCA 235 important questions.
MCA 235 and the GGSIPU MCA Sem 3 papers it connects to
Paired lab: MCA-235 has no lab code of its own; the GGSIPU MCA syllabus places its practicals in MCA-267 Lab based on Core Elective III (0-2, 1 credit).
- Unit 3 programs 1.1 to 4.7 (LED blink to an ESP8266 ThingSpeak upload) feed the device side of that lab.
- Unit 4 programs 9.5 to 9.11 (sockets, PyBluez, paho-mqtt) feed the gateway side.
Overlapping Sem 3 papers: MCA-213 Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN, 6LoWPAN) and MCA-223 Cloud Computing (cloud, fog), both Core Elective II. MCA-201 Design and Analysis of Algorithms and MCA-203 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are compulsory. The pre-requisites point back to MCA-103 Computer Networks and MCA-106 Python Programming.
Who writes and checks the MCA 235 IoT notes?
- Prateek Talwar, author of the MCA 235 notes: Founder, Unnati Educations; Associate Company Secretary (ACS), ICSI, membership no. 58704, since 15 May 2019; B.Com, University of Delhi (School of Open Learning), 2012. Profile
- Ritik Rawat, subject reviewer for the MCA 235 notes: Senior Full Stack Developer, Unnati Educations; B.Tech.
These MCA 235 Internet of Things IPU notes (2026-27 edition) follow the MCA scheme approved on 28 July 2025 for A.S. 2025-26 onwards, last checked on 13 October 2026. How we write and correct notes is in our editorial policy.
The same team prepares GGSIPU important questions for every course on this site.
Do the MCA 235 notes cover the full GGSIPU syllabus?
Yes. Every topic in the four official MCA-235 units has its own section in the notes; the check found no gaps.
| Official unit | Official topics | Where in the notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit I | Definition to evolution; physical and logical design; enabling technologies; IoT levels; domain applications; SCADA, M2M, SDN; design methodology | Sections 1 to 9, pages 6 to 23 | Covered |
| Unit II | IoT layers; MQTT, CoAP; BLE, LiFi; 6LoWPAN; cloud storage, APIs; fog computing | Sections 1 to 7, pages 29 to 44 | Covered |
| Unit III | Arduino and Raspberry Pi pin diagrams and architecture; sensor types; DHT, gas detector, HC-05, ultrasonic, ESP8266 | Sections 1 to 4, pages 50 to 67 | Covered |
| Unit IV | Python revision; Bluetooth, sockets, time, requests, sys, Adafruit DHT, paho-mqtt, JSON, pip | Sections 1 to 10, pages 72 to 88 | Covered |
MCA 235 official syllabus vs the notes (A.S. 2025-26 onwards)
- Official unit
- Unit I
- Official topics
- Definition to evolution; physical and logical design; enabling technologies; IoT levels; domain applications; SCADA, M2M, SDN; design methodology
- Where in the notes
- Sections 1 to 9, pages 6 to 23
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit II
- Official topics
- IoT layers; MQTT, CoAP; BLE, LiFi; 6LoWPAN; cloud storage, APIs; fog computing
- Where in the notes
- Sections 1 to 7, pages 29 to 44
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit III
- Official topics
- Arduino and Raspberry Pi pin diagrams and architecture; sensor types; DHT, gas detector, HC-05, ultrasonic, ESP8266
- Where in the notes
- Sections 1 to 4, pages 50 to 67
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit IV
- Official topics
- Python revision; Bluetooth, sockets, time, requests, sys, Adafruit DHT, paho-mqtt, JSON, pip
- Where in the notes
- Sections 1 to 10, pages 72 to 88
- Status
- Covered
Official source: GGSIPU MCA (2 years) scheme and syllabus, A.S. 2025-26 onwards (MCA-235 is on pages 143 to 144 of the PDF).
Every course in GGSIPU notes is mapped to its official PDF the same way, topic by topic.
MCA 235 IoT notes FAQs
How do I get the full MCA 235 notes?
Tap "Get Full Notes" or the WhatsApp button at the end of this page and send the pre-filled message. The full MCA 235 notes come only as a printed, bound 92-page book, not as a PDF. We confirm your address on WhatsApp, and the book reaches you within 5 to 7 days at most, depending on your location.
What is the passing mark for MCA 235 Internet of Things?
MCA 235 is marked out of 100, and its end-term question pattern adds up to 60 marks (12 for Q1 plus 12 per unit). The MCA scheme of examination states pass marks as 40%, which is 40 out of 100, for every paper. For end-term minimums and re-appear rules, read GGSIPU Ordinance 11 on ipu.ac.in.
Is MCA 235 compulsory in MCA Semester 3?
No. MCA 235 is one of eleven papers in Core Elective III, and you choose any one of them. The scheme says an elective needs at least 20 students for classes; with fewer, the institute can run it through a SWAYAM MOOC with prior approval, and you still sit the institute's exam to earn the 3 credits.
Which unit of MCA 235 has the most programs?
Unit 4 has the most, with 27 Python program listings, from data types and file handling to sockets, PyBluez, Adafruit DHT and a paho-mqtt publisher and subscriber. Unit 3 has 10 more for Arduino and Raspberry Pi, covering LED blink, DHT11, MQ-2, HC-05, HC-SR04 and ESP8266. Units 1 and 2 are diagram and table-based theory units with no programs.
Do the MCA 235 notes match the 2025-26 GGSIPU syllabus?
Yes. The MCA 235 notes follow the MCA (2 years) scheme for students admitted from A.S. 2025-26 onwards, approved by the USIC&T Board of Studies in July 2025. All four official units are covered topic by topic. One difference to note: the notes mark questions as 2.5 and 12.5 marks, while the current paper-setter pattern uses 12 marks per question.
Do I need an Arduino or Raspberry Pi to study MCA 235?
Not for the theory paper. The MCA 235 notes draw the Arduino Uno pin diagram, the ATmega328P block diagram and the Raspberry Pi 40-pin GPIO header, with wiring, code and output for each sensor, so the book alone is enough to revise. Hands-on work belongs to the MCA-267 lab, where your institute provides the boards and sensors.
Get the full MCA 235 Internet of Things Notes on WhatsApp
The full GGSIPU MCA Sem 3 Internet of Things notes are sold only as a printed, bound book, not as a PDF: 104 solved short answers, 50 long-answer questions, 37 programs and 50 diagrams.
| Part | Book pages | Diagrams |
|---|---|---|
| Cover and index | 1 to 4 (4) | - |
| Unit 1: IoT design and paradigm | 5 to 27 (23) | 24 |
| Unit 2: Protocols, cloud and fog | 28 to 48 (21) | 13 |
| Unit 3: Arduino, Pi and sensors | 49 to 70 (22) | 9 |
| Unit 4: Python for IoT | 71 to 92 (22) | 4 |
MCA 235 full notes book: pages per unit
- Part
- Cover and index
- Book pages
- 1 to 4 (4)
- Diagrams
- -
- Book pages
- 5 to 27 (23)
- Diagrams
- 24
- Book pages
- 28 to 48 (21)
- Diagrams
- 13
- Book pages
- 49 to 70 (22)
- Diagrams
- 9
- Book pages
- 71 to 92 (22)
- Diagrams
- 4
Order by sending the WhatsApp message below; we confirm your address on chat. Delivery: within 5 to 7 days at most; the exact time may vary with your location.
Order the printed MCA 235 notes book on WhatsApp (4 units, 92 pages)
Unnati Educations is an independent education provider based in Vikaspuri, Delhi. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU). 'GGSIPU' and 'IPU' are used only to describe the syllabus our notes follow. For official information, visit ipu.ac.in.
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