INTERNET OF THINGS

Internet of Things

I want to help you understand what is the Internet of Things ( IoT)? I often meet people that are afraid to ask questions that everyone is looking to have answers to:

History

What is IoT?

Why IoT matter?

How do IoT devices work?

Benefits of IoT?

Etc

I want to bring answers to those questions through this article. Here we go……

History :
The term Internet of Things is 16 years old. But the actual idea of connected devices had been around longer, at least since the 70s.

But the actual term “Internet of Things” was coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999 during his work at Procter&Gamble.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes that network of physical objects, “Things”, that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet.

These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated Industrial Tools.

With more than 7 billion connected IoT devices today, experts are expecting these numbers to grow to 10 billion by 2020 and 22 billion by 2025.

Why IoT Matters?

When Something is connected to the internet, that means that it can send information or receive information, or both. This ability to send and/or receive information makes things smart, and smart is good.

Let’s use smartphones as an EXAMPLE:

Right now you can listen to just about any song in the world, but it is not because your phone has every song in the world stored on it. It is because every song in the world is stored somewhere else, but your phone can send information (asking for that song) and then receive information (streaming that song on your phone).

In the Internet of Things, all the things that are being connected to the internet can be put into THREE categories:

Things that collect information and then send it.

Things that receive information and then act on it.

Things that do both.

And all three of these have enormous benefits that feed on each other.

How does IoT device work?

Smartphones do play a large role in the IoT because many IoT devices can be controlled through an app on a smartphone. You can use your smartphone to communicate with your smart thermostat, for example, to deliver the perfect temperature for you by the time you get home from work. Another plus? This can eliminate unneeded heating or cooling while you are away, potentially saving you money on energy costs.

IoT device contains sensors and mini-computer processors that act on the data collected by the sensors via machine learning. Essentially, IoT devices are mini-computers, connected to the internet.

Benefits of IoT?

The Internet of Things is designed to make our lives more convenient. Here are a few examples:

Smart bathroom scales working in tandem with your treadmill, delivering food preparation ideas to your laptop or smartphone, so you stay healthy.

Security devices monitoring your home, turning lights on and off as you enter and exit rooms, and streaming video so you can check.

Smart voice assistants placing your usual takeout order on command, making it a breeze to get fresh food delivered to your door.

Applications of IoT :

Smart home

Wearables

Smart City

Smart grids

Industrial internet

Connected car

Connected Health (Digital health/Telehealth/Telemedicine)

Smart retail

Smart supply chain

Smart farming

Modules in IoT :

An IoT module is a small electronic device embedded in objects, machines, and things that connect to wireless networks and sends and receives data. Sometimes referred to as a “radio chip” or IoT chip”, the IoT module contains the same technology and data circuits found in mobile phones but without features like a display or keypad.

Another key differentiator of IoT modules is that they provide always-on connectivity. This aspect is because IoT applications need to send data automatically, in real-time without someone hitting a send button.

Sensors in IoT :

a sensor is a device that can detect changes in an environment. By itself, a sensor is useless, but when we use it in an electronic system, it plays a key role. A sensor can measure a physical phenomenon (like temperature, pressure, and so on) and transform it into an electric signal. These three features should be at the base of a good sensor:

It should be sensitive to the phenomenon that it measures. It should not be sensitive to other physical phenomena. It should not modify the measured phenomenon during the measurement process. There is a wide range of sensors we can exploit to measure almost all the physical properties around us. A few common sensors that are widely adopted in everyday life include thermometers, pressure sensors, light sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion sensors, gas sensors, and many more.

I hope this article found you interesting and helpful.
Thank You.

~Jinal Menpara