IOT Overview:

IoT stands for Internet of Things, which means accessing and controlling daily usable equipments and
devices using Internet.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a name for the aggregate collection of network-enabled devices, excluding
traditional computers like laptops and servers. Types of network connections can include Wi-Fi
connections, Bluetooth connections, and near-field communication (NFC). The IoT includes devices such
as "smart" appliances, like refrigerators and thermostats; home security systems; computer peripherals,
like webcams and printers; wearable technology, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits; routers; and smart
speaker devices, like Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Features of IOT:
Connectivity: Connectivity refers to establish a proper connection between all the things of IoT to IoT
platform it may be server or cloud. After connecting the IoT devices, it needs a high speed messaging
between the devices and cloud to enable reliable, secure and bi-directional communication.
Analyzing: After connecting all the relevant things, it comes to real-time analyzing the data collected and
use them to build effective business intelligence. If we have a good insight into data gathered from all
these things, then we call our system has a smart system.
Integrating: IoT integrating the various models to improve the user experience as well.
Artificial Intelligence: IoT makes things smart and enhances life through the use of data. For example, if
we have a coffee machine whose beans have going to end, then the coffee machine itself order the coffee
beans of your choice from the retailer.
Sensing: The sensor devices used in IoT technologies detect and measure any change in the environment
and report on their status. IoT technology brings passive networks to active networks. Without sensors,
there could not hold an effective or true IoT environment.
Active Engagement: IoT makes the connected technology, product, or services to active engagement
between each other.
Endpoint Management: It is important to be the endpoint management of all the IoT system otherwise,
it makes the complete failure of the system. 
Components of an IoT Ecosystem:
1. Sensing and embedding components
This is the first tier of an IoT ecosystem and it forms the backbone of the entire Internet of Things
network. Data is indispensable for IoT and sensors are an important factor to ensure the accuracy and
credibility of data. This essential layer consists of physical, micro appliances, embedded in an IoT device,
which are responsible for collecting data or controlling a mechanism.
Sensors:
Sensors work to gather minute data from the surrounding environment. They are sometimes also known
as ‘detectors’ as the primary function of sensors is to detect even the slightest changes in the surrounding
environment. This allows an IoT device to capture relevant data for real-time or post-processing.
Depending on the type of sensor, this small piece of hardware can measure absolutely anything. This can
be smoke, motion or even blood pressure.

Actuators
Actuators work opposite to that of sensors. While sensors, sense; actuators act. They receive a signal or a
command and on its basis they cause an action. They are as crucial as sensors as once the sensors have
detected a change in the environment, an actuator is required to make something happen based on the
trigger.
As an example, actuators may control the heating and cooling in a smart air conditioner or the valve in a
smart tap. As soon as sensors detect that a person has exited an area, the actuator will be triggered to stop
the flow of air conditioning or the flow of water in the case of a tap.

2. Connectivity
IoT is a network involving devices, sensors, cloud and actuators and all these needs to interconnect with
one another to be able to decipher data and consequently perform an action. Connectivity forms the
second piece of the puzzle in the complex world of the IoT ecosystem.
Protocols
Once the data has been collected by the sensors, it requires a medium for transport. In other words, a
communication channel is necessary between sensors and the cloud. IoT protocols are responsible for
transferring data in the online world and this transmission can only be possible if two devices are safely
connected. IoT standards and protocols involve an invisible language allowing physical objects to
communicate with one another.
The choice of network depends on factors such as power consumption, speed of data transfer, range,
bandwidth and overall efficiency. Some of the most popular IoT wireless protocols and standards include
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, LoRaWAN, DDS, MQTT, cellular, etc.

IoT gateways
Incoming, raw data from the sensors must pass through gateways to reach the cloud. Gateways translate
network protocols ensuring seamless communication of all devices within the network. Essentially this
makes the gateways a crucial communication point and is responsible for easy management of data
traffic.
Moreover, gateways offer security by protecting the system from unauthorized access and malicious
attacks. It can also be considered as a security layer as the data flowing through it protected by the latest
encryption practices.

3. IoT cloud
Once the data has been collected and it has traveled to the cloud, it needs to be processed. The cloud is
where the “smart stuff” takes place! This high-performance facility majorly ties the components to the
IoT ecosystem together. It handles the data, stores it and makes decisions to make or break a deal. All of
this is performed for colossal amounts of data in just under milliseconds – the time is critical for IoT, as
especially in critical concerns such as health and safety, latency cannot be compromised.
While the main purpose of IoT solutions is to provide and act on real-time information, there needs to be
a component that is able to handle enormous amounts of data to cater to the time-sensitive nature of the
IoT model.

4. IoT analytics and data management

Data may be a small word but it holds immense power that can pose a huge effect on any business. IoT
Analytics is used to make sense of the vast amounts of analog data. This for example can include the
determination of key performance indicators in a certain application where one may be interested in
viewing errors or irregularities in real-time.
Once identified an immediate action would be required to prevent any undesirable scenarios. To put it
differently, analytics involves converting raw data into useful insights that later are interpreted or
analyzed to drive decision making.
Smart analytics is useful in multiple scenarios. The basic role is to analyze a situation and formulate a
decision based on this. This can be basic such as analyzing if a room’s temperature falls in an acceptable
range, or complex if for example a car is just about to crash. Data analytics helps determine vital business
insights.
The IoT building blocks or the fundamental tiers of IoT
architecture
The most widely used technical building blocks of IoT architecture contain three layers:

 The perception layer, the purpose of which is to interact with the physical world via basic
building blocks of IoT devices augmented with sensors and actuators

 The network layer, which is intended to conduct superficial analysis of data captured by sensors
using IoT gateways and transmit that data to a server for further processing over specific
communication protocols

 The application layer, which is responsible for the interconnection between the previous two
hardware-related layers and business applications to deliver application-specific services to end
users