How The IoT Will Transform Your Life

Explanation of the Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT stands for Internet of Things. What does it mean? It refers to physical devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals, or people being connected through the internet that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs).

For example, think of your appliances, vehicles, and buildings embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity. Now think of automation, control, and monitoring of these “things” in multiple industries allowing them to collect and exchange data. These things can be anything from a person with a heart monitor implant to a car with sensors that tell the driver about tire pressure. Companies are using IoT to work better and provide better services to their customers. It helps them make better decisions and increases the value of their business.

When did IoT arrive On the scene?

IoT (the Internet of Things) has been around for several years. The Internet of Things was invented in 1999 by a British technology pioneer, Kevin Ashton. In the early 2010s, the internet became a place where anyone with an idea or a niche market could reach a global audience. This was called the “democratization of content,” and it meant that anyone with an idea could create something for everyone to see.

Businesses were no longer restricted to operating from their local area but could instead look for opportunities outside. The idea of interconnected devices and machine-to-machine communication dates back to the early days of the internet, but it has become more prevalent. This is largely due to the advent of new technologies such as low-cost sensors, wireless communication, and cloud computing.

What are some industries where you can find IoT?

As of 2021, IoT has been widely adopted in various industries, such as smart homes, transportation, healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing, and it is expected to continue growing in the future. Let’s look at some examples up until 2021 for how these industries would use IoT.

🏠 Smart Home: IoT is being used to make homes smarter and more convenient to live in. For example, you can control your home's lights, temperature, and security from your smartphone.

🚗 Transportation: IoT is being used to make transportation safer and more efficient. For example, cars can communicate with each other to avoid accidents, and GPS can track the location of vehicles.

🩻 Healthcare: IoT is being used to improve healthcare and make it more accessible. Moreover, wearable devices can monitor a person's health and send information to their doctor, and remote patient monitoring can allow people to receive care from home.

🚜 Agriculture: IoT is being used to make agriculture more efficient and sustainable. Sensors can monitor soil moisture levels, and drones can be used to spray crops with pesticides.

🛍️ Manufacturing: IoT is being used to make manufacturing more efficient and reduce waste. In this case, sensors can monitor machinery to predict when it will break down, and robots can be used to automate repetitive tasks.

What are examples of sectors using IoT after 2021?

So, let’s look at new sectors and statistics from 2021 to the present day, according to Statista.

Number of Internet of Things (IoT) Connected Devices Worldwide

From 2019 to 2030, by vertical (in millions)

Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1194682/iot-connected-devices-vertically/

I mean, look at the sectors that will be involved. And that doesn’t even include the newest phase of tech gadgets and wearables like high-tech glasses.

Are there different types of IoT

Meanwhile, I went on the internet today and did a Google search for the question, “How many types of IoT are there?” Depending on whether or not you search for current articles or don’t sort your time filters, I found anywhere from 2-5 types for the internet of things. However, my search may not have been specific enough. I chose the generic question, but look at the different questions I could have specified:

• Types of protocols

• Types of devices

• Types of key pillars

• Types of IoT Wireless Technologies

However, we will go with my original inquiry into whether there are different types of IoT. The answer is yes. Accordingly, Syntegra not only gives us the names of the different types but also a description of each.

• “What is Consumer Internet of Things (CIoT)? - Consumer IoT (CIoT) refers to the use of IoT for consumer applications and devices. Common CIoT products include smartphones, wearables, smart assistants, home appliances, etc.

• What is Commercial Internet of Things? - While CIoT tends to focus on augmenting personal and home environments, Commercial IoT goes a bit further, delivering the benefits of IoT to larger venues. Think: commercial office buildings, supermarkets, stores, hotels, healthcare facilities, and entertainment venues.

• What is Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)? - Industrial IoT (IIoT), is perhaps the most dynamic wing of the IoT industry. Its focus is on augmenting existing industrial systems, making them both more productive and more efficient.

• What is Infrastructure Internet of Things? - Infrastructure IoT is concerned with the development of smart infrastructures that incorporate IoT technologies to boost efficiency, cost savings, maintenance, etc. This includes the ability to monitor and control operations of urban and rural infrastructures, such as bridges, railway tracks, and on- and offshore windfarms.

• What is the Internet of Military Things (IoMT)? - The last type of IoT is the Internet of Military Things (IoMT), often referred to as Battlefield IoT, the Internet of Battlefield Things, or simply IoBT. IoMT is precisely what it sounds like — the use of IoT in military settings and battlefield situations.”

How does the Internet of Things work?

An IoT ecosystem is made up of smart devices that are connected to the internet and have special technology built into them. These devices use things like processors, sensors, and communication tools to gather information from their surroundings and share it. This information is sent to a central device, like an IoT gateway, where it can be analyzed and used by the devices. Some of these devices can even talk to each other and make decisions based on the information they receive. Although people can control and interact with these devices, they mostly work on their own without any help from humans.

How is security handled within the internet of things?

Security is a very important issue when it comes to IoT. This is because all of the information that is being collected and shared by the devices can be sensitive or private. To keep this information safe, many steps are taken to secure the IoT ecosystem.

One way this is done is by using encryption, which is like a secret code, to protect the data as it is being sent from one device to another. This makes it very difficult for anyone who is not supposed to see the data to understand it.

Another way to improve security is to make sure that only authorized users can access the devices and the information they collect. This is done using things like passwords, fingerprints, or other forms of identification.

Finally, companies that make IoT devices often provide regular software updates to fix any security problems that are found. This helps to keep the devices and the information they collect safe from potential threats.

Security is an important concern in IoT, and many steps are taken to ensure the information collected and shared by the devices is protected from unauthorized access.

If you have any further questions or want more information on this topic, please contact the author at borlokva@gmail.com.