What is IoT?

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“If you think that the internet has changed your life, think again. The Internet of Things is about to change it all over again!” — Brendan O’Brien, CEO, Aria Systems.

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Not every technology in the past has been able to seep into our lives seamlessly and create a huge impact on the way our lives work. But there are some technologies, that have been able to do it successfully. For example, technologies like smartphones, internet, iPad, Android systems have definitely changed our lifestyles.

Another such technology that has integrated seamlessly into our lives is the Internet of Things(IoT). Let us understand-

What is the Internet of Things(IoT)?

IoT is a very simple concept. All devices connected to the internet is called the internet of things.

A few years ago, only smartphones, PCs, laptops could be connected to the internet. But with IoT, many other devices can be connected to the internet too. However, just connecting to the internet is not enough.

We as human beings interact and communicate and share with other human beings in our own environment through touch hear smell sight and taste. Similarly, IoT adds capability in normal devices so that they can communicate with the outside world while connected to the internet.

Adding IoT capability to any device require an Arduino board and an automatic programmable controller. The devices are programmed to control data received and transmitted to the device. This successfully enables interaction of any programmable object with the outside world. Therefore, you can "control" these devices.

This has completely transformed the way our world interacts. Devices in today's age are "able to talk" to each other, send and transmit signals. You get an opportunity for some things to interact and control other things. IoT has made it possible to create a network of devices.

According to Statista Reports, the total number of devices connected to the internet has ballooned by more than 15 Billion in the last 5 years.

Applications of IoT:

There is a boom in IoT devices. It is predicted that in the long run, the PC and workstation will wither because computing access will be everywhere: in the walls, on wrists, and in 'scrap computers' lying about waiting to be grabbed as needed.

“The Internet will disappear. There will be so many IP addresses, so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with, that you won’t even sense it. It will be part of your presence all the time. Imagine you walk into a room, and the room is dynamic. And with your permission and all of that, you are interacting with the things going on in the room.”

Eric Schmidt, Chairman at Google, quoted the above statement on a panel at the World Economic Forum. The above quote perfectly defines the wave of the future. 

With billions of devices that are interconnected with one another, a humongous amount of data and information is shared.

For example, the smartphone has a tremendous deal of information about you. It knows where you are, how you are moving, how many lights are there in the room that you're in, how close is the phone to your face. It knows what you are saying to it and it even has a camera to see the world around it. It even has a wireless network so that it can connect to the world.

That was an obvious example. Consider a smartwatch. The smartwatch tracks footstep, tracks activity and even knows hours of sleep. It can even communicate on a network.

All of us have one of these devices in our homes- a thermostat. It senses the temperature in the room, it knows whether someone is in the room or not. It tracks home and away from patterns so that it can save energy. And it can communicate with a network so that the temperature can be controlled from afar.

For example, a security camera connected to the internet continues to provide surveillance by monitoring the daily activities around the area. It can send this information over the internet to a mobile device. This way it is possible to monitor activities in an area remotely over a mobile device such as a mobile phone.

Big businesses care deeply about the IoT wave. Google has purchased Nest for 3.2 Bn dollars in the home automation space. Many such examples exist. IoT Predictions for the year 2020 include $202 Bn for the automotive industry, $445 Bn for consumer electronics and many others.

IoT has definitely changed our world today. IoT takes things and adds the ability to communicate and control.

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In my next article, we will cover specific applications of IoT in various Industries.

General Technologies has been enabling IoT capabilities in organizations for the last decade. Consider consulting us Here.