What is IoT?

When you Google “what is IoT,” many of the answers are unnecessarily technical. Case in point:

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.”

– An unnecessarily technical explanation of IoT

If you just read that and thought, “ok, so what?”, you’re not alone. Most people don’t want to nor need to dive into the nitty-gritty of IoT. In this chapter, we’ll provide you with a simple explanation of the Internet of Things and what it means for you.

Before we jump in, note that “The Internet of Things” and “IoT” can and will be used interchangeably. And a quick tip to sound knowledgeable: avoid saying “the IoT”.