WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)?
The Internet of Things, or IoT. You’ve heard of it. But what is it, and why is it promising such vast change? Well, imagine everything in our physical world all seamlessly connected, securely connected, everything connected. Even then you’re barely close to grasping the potential of IoT.
The Internet was established to transfer files and share information between local area networks — there-fore it can be understood as the Internet of People. Until now, vast groups of the world’s citizens have had access to a more or less restricted World Wide Web. The IoT approach elaborates on the idea of connectivity not only for people but also technical devices and equipment. This kind of system allows data transfer and analysis without human-to-human and human-to-computer interactions. This approach has high potential for transportation, health care, manufacturing and smart buildings.
Components & enablers
In general, the IoT architecture can be divided into three layers — the perception layer, network layer and application layer.
Key technologies for the Internet of Things
In order for a device to be a part of the IoT, a few critical components are needed.
Sensors are how an IoT device collects information about the physical environment; they are like a digital version of a human’s sense of vision, hearing, and touch. Many different types of sensors exist, and what sensors are used in a device will vary depending on what the device does. For example, your smart thermostat certainly needs a temperature sensor but probably not an accelerometer.
Microcontrollers provide the computing power, memory, and Internet connectivity for the device. If the sensors are the digital eyes and ears of the device, the microcontroller is the brain. While microcontrollers have limited processing power, as the CPU and memory are embedded on a single chip, their low cost, minimal power requirements, and relative simplicity make them suitable for use in many IoT devices.
Network connectivity is needed to move data to and from the device. There are a host of different options available, including Wi-Fi, WAN, LAN, cellular, Bluetooth, NFC, and many others. The choice of connectivity technology to use will depend not just on the type of device but also the environment in which it is being used. For example, while cellular networks may have limited reach in some plants because of their architecture and building materials, next-gen 5G network connectivity will be required for the devices in autonomous vehicles.
There’s no doubt, the Internet of Things is just getting started. Businesses who start now to develop or expand IoT technology in their products, services and operations are the ones who will realise a competitive advantage.
Of course, as with most new innovations, IoT comes with a drawback; at the moment, most IoT devices are not secured, making them an easy target for hackers. Last year, millions of IoT devices were hacked and used to take down some of the underlying infrastructure of the internet. Going forward, IoT manufacturers would do well to pay more attention to security, and users should take every precaution to secure their devices.
What is clear, however, is that every company, in every industry, big or small, needs to consider the implications of the Internet of Things and what it means for their business strategy today.
[1]: Yasser Ismail (September 18th 2018). Introductory Chapter: Internet of Things (IoT) Importance and Its Applications | IntechOpen
[2]: Andrew Meola (May 10th 2018). What Is the Internet of Things & How Does IoT Work? (businessinsider.com)
[3]: Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis (September 5th 2016). ISO — How the Internet of Things will change our lives