In the gateway-mediated model, which component acts as an intermediary between a device and the cloud?

In the gateway-mediated model, which component acts as an intermediary between a device and the cloud?

• A. A gateway
• B. A router
• C. A sensor
• D. A client computer

Answer: (A)

In this setup, the key idea is that a gateway sits at the edge of the network and acts as the bridge between a device and the cloud. Devices—especially if they’re simple or resource-constrained—often use lightweight or specialized protocols. The gateway translates those protocols, aggregates or filters data, handles authentication and security, and then forwards the data to cloud services using standard internet protocols. This mediation reduces the burden on the device and centralizes management at the edge. That’s why the gateway is the best answer: it serves as the intermediary between the device and the cloud, handling protocol translation, security, and data delivery. The router simply moves packets between networks, the sensor is the data source itself, and a client computer is just another endpoint that talks to the cloud but doesn’t inherently bridge a device to the cloud in this model.

In this setup, the key idea is that a gateway sits at the edge of the network and acts as the bridge between a device and the cloud. Devices—especially if they’re simple or resource-constrained—often use lightweight or specialized protocols. The gateway translates those protocols, aggregates or filters data, handles authentication and security, and then forwards the data to cloud services using standard internet protocols. This mediation reduces the burden on the device and centralizes management at the edge.

That’s why the gateway is the best answer: it serves as the intermediary between the device and the cloud, handling protocol translation, security, and data delivery. The router simply moves packets between networks, the sensor is the data source itself, and a client computer is just another endpoint that talks to the cloud but doesn’t inherently bridge a device to the cloud in this model.