Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Internet of Things - TeKnology Article

 

With the rapid incursion of IoT in our daily lives, it is easy to ignore its capabilities. However, these smart devices are soon going to deliver us additional benefits and make our lives better. Certainly, you have already heard about the internet of things or IoT and probably used it in your everyday life. However, do you really know what things are connected to the internet? How does data get from one end to another? What are the basic blocks of this technology? Everything is not just connected nowadays, but also intelligent and responsive. How does all that work? Luckily for you, we are here to give you a complete internet of things guide in just a few minutes.

TABLE OF CONTENT

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)

History of the internet of things

IoT applications in industries

benefits of IoT

How does the internet of things works

LET'S GET STARTED...

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next great technological frontier. As the IoT matures and more devices are connected to the internet, we will see a vast array of new uses and applications for this technology.

The IoT can be defined as any device that is connected to the internet and can be controlled remotely. This means that our computers, phones, and tablets are all part of the Internet of Things. However, we are now seeing more physical items being connected to the internet as well such as light bulbs, refrigerators, and cars.

These devices are known as “smart” appliances because they have computer chips inside them that allow you to control them remotely through a smartphone app or over the web using your laptop or desktop computer. For example, if you want to turn on your lights at home when you get home from work but don't want to make it look like you've just left your apartment by leaving every light on in it, a smart light switch would allow you to turn off all of your lights with one click of a button on your phone or computer without having to walk into each room individually.

While there are many different definitions for what exactly constitutes an Internet of Things device, one thing remains constant: these devices have some sort of computing.

HISTORY OF IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable it to collect and exchange data. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure. 

Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of approximately 30 billion objects by 2020. The IoT allows objects to be sensed or controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy, and economic benefit in addition to reduced human intervention. When IoT is augmented with sensors and actuators connected to an automated control system (such as a programmable logic controller), the technology becomes an instance of the more general class of cyber-physical systems, which also encompasses technologies such as smart grids, building automation systems and transportation management systems.

In their 2013 Cisco VNI Global IP Traffic Forecast Update report, Cisco predicted that by 2020 there would be 50 billion devices connected via IP traffic on the Internet (this was up from their previous forecast in 2012). This number was revised in their 2014 VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update report to over 200 billion devices installed.

IoT APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRIES

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the fastest-growing industries. It is a technology that connects devices and sensors to the internet. IoT applications are used in different industries for different purposes.

Industrial IoT applications use the internet to connect industrial machines, sensors, and other devices to improve manufacturing processes and maintenance. The main purpose of industrial IoT applications is to provide better efficiency for production and distribution processes. Some examples include:

Remote monitoring - Remote monitoring systems can monitor remote locations using sensors, cameras, and other devices connected to the network. This enables businesses to monitor their facilities from anywhere at any time.

Asset tracking - Asset tracking systems help companies keep track of their assets and ensure they are not damaged or stolen during transportation. These systems also help companies save money by reducing unnecessary costs caused by damage or theft of assets during transport.

Smart buildings - Smart buildings use IoT applications to automate various parts of building operations such as lighting control, temperature control, security systems etcetera without human intervention through automation software such as BACnet protocol or LonWorks protocol or ZigBee protocol or WIFI protocol, etc.

IoT has been defined as a web of things where physical things are connected to each other via the internet, able to broadcast their state and message to the world and be controlled remotely. It allows companies to collect data from their products and create applications on top of it. For example, a solar panel manufacturer can monitor its panels in real-time, and get alerts when they need maintenance or replacement based on actual usage patterns; a car manufacturer can track its cars in real-time and know when they need servicing based on usage patterns; an insurance company could use IoT sensors to detect theft or vandalism; a hospital could use IoT monitors for patients who have chronic conditions like diabetes or heart failure; even your home could have smart locks that unlock when you approach.

BENEFITS OF IOT

The IoT is changing the way we live and work. The Internet of Things allows us to create smart homes, connected vehicles, smart cities — even entire smart economies.

But what are the benefits of IoT? Here are just a few:

1. Improved efficiency: The IoT helps you find ways to make your business more efficient by collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources. This can help you identify inefficiencies in your processes and improve them by making changes based on real-time data rather than estimates or guesswork.

2. Increased productivity: Connecting employees through mobile apps or wearables makes it easier for them to collaborate and share information instantly — leading to increased productivity across teams and departments.

3. Better customer service: The IoT can help companies deliver personalized experiences by using customer data collected from various touchpoints (such as websites, call centers, and stores).

4. Less waste: IoT devices can be programmed to perform tasks automatically or at certain times. For example, if a machine detects that its supply of raw materials is running low, it may automatically order more from the warehouse before running out of stock completely (which would cause delays). This kind of automation reduces waste as fewer human resources are required to carry out manual tasks like ordering supplies or monitoring machines.

5. Enhanced safety: IoT enables companies to keep track of assets such as trucks or trains from a remote location using GPS tracking systems so that they can minimize accidents due to human error or technical glitches. For example, self-driving cars will reduce road accidents significantly since they won't make mistakes that humans might do while driving manually.

The IoT today is more than just RFID tags on products; it includes smart meters that monitor energy consumption, smart thermostats that adapt temperature settings based on occupancy patterns, connected cars that report vehicle diagnostics and road conditions, wearable devices such as FitBit that track health statistics and many other examples. According to Cisco Systems Inc., there will be 26 billion connected devices by 2020 — up from 10 billion in 2015.

HOW DOES THE INTERNET OF THINGS WORKS

IoT has been called "the next industrial revolution" in which smart devices allow automated systems to be controlled remotely. As such, connected devices can be programmed to do simple tasks like adjusting a thermostat when a user is away on vacation or more complex ones such as monitoring air quality and warning if it drops below safe levels. The term was first coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999 as an abbreviation for "Internet for Things". The idea of connecting any device with an on-off switch to the Internet was described in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, a British technology pioneer who founded the Auto-ID Center at MIT. He also came up with an idea that is used today: RFID tags on products could be read with smartphones using near field communication (NFC).

An IoT device may be associated with an application for monitoring any number of parameters: temperature, power consumption, location, etc.; however, it is not always necessary for it to have an application associated with it. For example, an ordinary light bulb could be considered an IoT device because it could be connected to a gateway that allows remote control over its on/off state using mobile phones or personal computers through wireless communication protocols such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The concept refers to a future where many everyday items possess an identifier linked to an online network via embedded microchips. As long as the object is within reach of an active Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection or even near enough for radio waves to reach it without being blocked by walls, it can be tracked.

In 2008 at the Web 2.0 conference Tim O'Reilly predicted that "a new breed of 'thing' would emerge": "They're not only physical machines but virtual services that live on top of those machines. And we're going to see an explosion of innovation around this idea as people figure out what things are good at doing together."

The term "Internet of Things" was first used by Kevin Ashton.

Now you have a comprehensive understanding of what the Internet of Things is and how it can potentially benefit your business and customers.

CONCLUSION

So have you heard about the Internet of Things? Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 18 months, you have. Just about everyone who's anyone has weighed in on IoT: from analysts to integrators, vendors to users, and everyone in between. Information abounds, but truth be told, it's difficult to cut through the noise and truly master just what IoT is all about.

There is no doubt that the Internet of Things (IoT) will change our lives forever. In fact, it has already begun to do so. So much information is being collected from IoT-capable devices that it is difficult to predict what we can actually do with all of this information. But one thing is certain: the IoT will change the way we live and work in more ways than most of us can imagine. In other words, here's looking at you, the twenty-first century.