The Internet of Things or IoT refers to the billions of physical objects that are now connected to the internet around the world, many of which gather and exchange information. Thanks to the arrival of super-cheap computer processors and the ubiquity of cellular networks, everything can be converted into a part of the IoT, from anything as small as a pill to anything as huge as an airliner. Connecting and attaching sensors to all these disparate items brings a degree of artificial sophistication to machines that would otherwise be stupid, allowing them to exchange information in real time without involving a human being. The Internet of Things, merging the digital and physical realms, makes the fabric of the world around us more aware and responsive.
The word IoT is primarily used for computers that would not necessarily be expected to have an internet connection and can interact with the network independently of human interaction. For this cause, while the latter is packed with sensors, a PC is not normally called an Internet of things computer and neither is a smartphone. However, a smartwatch or a workout tracker or other portable gadget may be called an Internet of things device. The idea of connecting sensors and information to basic objects was explored in the 1980s and 1990s (and there are certainly a number of prior ancestors), but apart from several early experiments, including an Internet-connected vending machine, development was slow simply because the technology was not ready. Chips were too wide and bulky, and there was no way that objects could communicate effectively.
Processors that were inexpensive and strong enough to be all but redundant were required until it eventually became cost-effective to connect billions of devices. The introduction of RFID tags—low-power chips that can interact wirelessly—resolved some of this problem, along with the growing development of broadband internet and cellular and wireless networking. The implementation of IPv6—which, among other items, should have appropriate IP addresses for any computer in the world (or perhaps this galaxy) is likely to require—was also a required move for the Internet of things to scale.
In 1999, Kevin Ashton invented the term ‘Internet of Things,’ but it took at least another decade for technology to catch up with the idea.
Initially, Internet of things was most interesting for industry and engineering, where its technology is often referred to as machine-to-machine (M2M), but the attention is now on flooding our homes and workplaces with smart devices, converting them into something that is applicable to almost all. Early ideas for Internet-connected computers included ‘blogjects’ (objects that blog and document data about themselves on the Internet), pervasive computing, invisible computing, and widespread computing. However it was the Internet of Things and IoT that became trapped. The advantages of IoT for company depend on the individual implementation; resilience and performance are typically main factors. The theory is that businesses should have access to more knowledge on their own goods and their own internal processes and as a result, be more able to make improvements.
Manufacturers are adding sensors to the components of their goods so that they can relay data on how they work. This will help businesses determine where the part is going to malfunction and switch it out before it does harm. Companies will then use the data generated by these sensors to make their processes and production chains more effective, so they can provide far more precise data on what is actually going on.
Enterprise use of Internet of things can be separated into two segments: industry-specific applications such as sensors in turbines or in real-time healthcare facilities and IoT devices that can be used in all industries. The IoT is promising to make our environment our houses, workplaces and vehicles smarter, more observable and it’s chattier. Smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home make it easier to play music, set timers, or get information. Home surveillance services make it easy to track what is going on inside and outside, or to see and speak to guests. In the meantime, smart thermostats can help us heat our homes when we get back, and smart light fixtures can make it seem like we’re home even though we’re out.
Protection is one of the main problems with the IoT. In certain instances, these sensors gather highly sensitive data what you say and do in your own house for example. Holding that secure is crucial to customer confidence, but the IoT safety track record has so far been incredibly weak. Too many IoT devices offer little consideration to the fundamentals of encryption, such as encrypting data in transit and at rest.
Software flaws even old and well-used code are found on a routine basis, but many IoT systems lack the capacity to repair, which ensures they are forever at danger. Hackers are now aggressively attacking IoT computers, such as routers and webcams, because their intrinsic lack of protection makes them easy to hack and roll into massive botnets.
With all these devices gathering data on everything you do, IoT is actually a huge amount of secrecy and headache. Take a smart home: it can tell when you wake up (when the smart coffee machine is turned on and how good you brush your teeth (thanks to your smart toothbrush), what radio channel you listen to (thanks to your smart speaker), what kind of food you eat (thanks to your smart oven or refrigerator), what your kids say (thanks to their smart toys) and who comes and goes through your home (thanks to your smart doorbell). Although businesses will make money by selling you the smart object in the first place, their IoT business model probably requires selling at least some of the info.
If the number of connected devices continues to grow, our living and working spaces will be packed with smart goods – implying that we are able to consider trade-offs between security and privacy. Some are going to embrace the modern age of smart stuff. Others are starting to long for the days when the chair was just a chair.