what is IoT?

In simple terms, The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the constant tendency to connect all kinds of physical objects to the Internet, especially those that you may not even imagine. It can be any type of element, from common household objects, such as refrigerators and light bulbs; business resources such as shipping labels and medical devices; to unprecedented wearables, smart devices, and even smart cities that only exist thanks to the IoT.

To be more specific, the term IoT refers to systems of physical devices that receive and transfer data over wireless networks without human intervention. What makes this possible is the integration of simple computing devices with sensors in all kinds of objects.

The devices can be from temperature sensors, mechanisms to raise the blinds, frigorific, sensors in footwear, clothing, etc. Anything can be connected to a network and interact without the need for human intervention (M2M or Machine to Machine).

Kevin Ashton first used the term "Internet of Things" in 1999. Ashton is a British engineer who works at MIT and helped create RFID and other sensors. Here's how Ashton explains the potential of the internet of things:

Today's computers - and therefore the internet - depend almost entirely on human beings for information. Almost all of the roughly 50 petabytes (a petabyte is 1,024 terabytes) of data available on the internet was captured and created by human beings by typing, pressing a record button, taking a digital image, or scanning a barcode. The problem is that people have limited time, attention,, and precision, which means that they are not very good at capturing data about things in the real world. If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things - using data they collected without any help from us - we could track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss,, and cost. We would know when we need to replace, repair, or recall things, and if they were fresh or old.

How to understand what is IoT?

If you are a few years old, mobile phones used to only be used to call and send text messages, but now you can read any book, watch any movie or listen to any song, all with a device that you can hold with one hand. Connecting things to the Internet increases its functions and uses. We have seen it with smartphones and also with computers. But what if we apply this to everything?

For example, a "smart thermostat" ("smart" usually means "IoT") receives data from the location of your smart car while you are driving, and uses it to adjust the temperature in your home before it arrives. This is accomplished without your intervention and generates a result that is better than if you had to manually adjust the temperature before leaving or upon returning.

Internet of Things is actually quite a simple concept, it means connecting all things in the world to the Internet. The confusion does not arise because the concept is concrete and well defined, but rather because it is very broad and diffuse. To clarify, it is important to understand the benefits of connecting things to the Internet.

The importance of the IoT

The Internet evolves very quickly. And what was science fiction until just a few years ago is now a reality thanks to the IoT, it is transforming industries, from agriculture to healthcare, and little by little it is also changing our homes.

When something is connected to the Internet, it means that it can send information and receive information. This ability to send and/or receive information makes things earn the adjective smart. Let's go back to smartphones because we can hardly live without them anymore. Right now you can listen to practically any song in the world, but it is not because your phone has stored all the songs in the world. It's because all the songs in the world are stored elsewhere, but the phone can send information (requesting that song) and then receive information (the song). To be smart, a device doesn't need to be very powerful or have infinite storage. All you need is to be able to connect to a supercomputer or a storage service, respectively.

In the IoT we can divide all things into three categories:

1. Elements that collect information and then send it.
2. Elements that receive information and then act on it.
3. Elements that do both.

Some elements have the following characteristics, being fully automated.

Collect and send information - The sensors

The sensors can be temperature, movement, heart rate, humidity, air quality, light, everything. These sensors, together with a connection, allow us to automatically collect information from any environment which, in turn, allows us to make smarter decisions.

In a plantation, for example, we can automatically obtain information on soil moisture which can help farmers to irrigate their crops with the exact amount of water to get the best possible harvest without wasting water and without watering too little ( which can result in costly crop loss).

Humidity sensor

3Pin YL-100 Soil Hygrometer Detection Module

Just as our sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste allow us humans to make sense of the world, sensors allow machines to make sense of the world.

Receive and act on information

We are all very familiar with machines that obtain information and then use that data to act. Think of a printer, receive a document and print it. Your car receives a signal from the keys and the doors open.

Doing both - pick up and ship; receive and act

This is where the greatest power of the IoT arises, in the devices that collect information and send it, but also receive information and act on it.

Let's go back to the example of agriculture. The sensors can collect information about soil moisture to tell the farmer how much to water crops, but the farmer is not actually needed. Instead, the sprinkler system can automatically turn on as needed, based on the amount of moisture in the soil.

And we can go one step further. If the irrigation system receives information about the weather through its Internet connection, it can also know when it is going to rain and decide not to water the crops today because it is going to rain.

Thanks to the almost infinite information that computer systems can handle, we can continue taking steps and more steps. All of this information about soil moisture, how much the irrigation system is watering crops, and how well crops are growing can be collected and sent to supercomputers. These computers run algorithms that can make sense of all this information and optimize the process, improving productivity while saving costs.

Concluding, we have obtained all this from a single sensor connected to the internet. Add more sensors such as light, air quality and temperature… The algorithms will be able to extract much more information and learn much more. With dozens, hundreds, thousands of plantations collecting information, algorithms can create new insights on how to make crops grow better, helping to feed the world's growing population.

Todays development of IoT

The IoT can cause the Fourth Industrial Revolution or what is also known as IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) since the combination of sensors, wireless networks, Big Data and AI can represent a qualitative leap at the business level.

At the domestic level, building automation, such as lighting, air conditioning, security, etc. it is the fastest growing sector; closely followed by automotive (connected cars). Also other sectors such as healthcare will greatly benefit from IoT (chronic disease control) devices.

I quote based on IDC analysts:

Global spending on IoT reached $ 745 billion in 2019, an increase of 15.4% from the $ 646 billion spent in 2018, it is expected to exceed $ 1 trillion (European) in 2022.

The big problems of the IoT: security and privacy in the industry

On an industrial level, the biggest problem with the IoT is security.

The sensors may be collecting sensitive data or they may act on strategic systems (dams) or on systems that can cause significant costs. Therefore, maintaining that security is vital for the future development of the IoT sector in all industrial areas.

The IoT bridges the gap between the digital world and the physical world, which means that device hacking can have dangerous consequences in the real world. Hacking the sensors that monitor the temperature in a power plant could fool operators into making a catastrophic decision; taking control of a driverless car could also end in disaster. So far, the security record for IoT is very bad. Too many IoT devices give little thought to the fundamentals of security, such as encrypting data in transit and at rest, or updating firmware. Bugs in IoT device software are discovered on a regular basis and many devices lack the ability to be patched, which means they will be at constant risk of being hacked.

Bitdefender say Over 100,000 internet-connected security cameras contain a "massive" security vulnerability that allows them to be accessed via the open web and used for surveillance, roped into a malicious botnet, or even exploited to hijack other devices on the same network.

Vulnerabilities have also been discovered in some children's smart watches that allow hackers to track the user's location, eavesdrop on conversations, or even communicate with the user.

The NCC tested several smartwatches for children and found that they contained security flaws and unreliable safety features - including one which could allow an attacker to fake the location of the user - and lacked protection for consumers.

Governments are once again concerned about the risks this entails and are starting to require devices to have unique passwords, that companies provide a public point of contact for anyone to report a vulnerability (and act accordingly) , and that manufacturers explicitly indicate how long devices will receive security updates. All of this applies to industry as well, where the risks are even higher. Connecting industrial machinery to IoT networks increases the potential risk of hackers discovering and attacking these devices.

Conclusion

The IoT is of utmost importance at the business level as it can increase understanding and control over work environments that have until now remained outside the reach of the Internet. By doing so, IoT enables companies and individuals to be more connected to the world around them and to do more meaningful work globally.

But to implement it fully and safely in industry or home, you must first ensure proper security and support protocols.