https://geekflare.

com/iot-for-beginners/

Background to IoT:

The term – “Internet of Things’ was coined in 1999 by a British entrepreneur named Kevin
Ashton during his presentation to the firm Procter & Gamble, also known as P&G.

However, the concept of IoT or connected devices surfaced before a couple of decades ago.
The actual idea was proposed in 1970.

Two decades later, in 1990, Siemens presented the first-ever cellular module for M2M. After
Ashton introduced IoT, it was widely accepted, and then it appeared in popular publications
such as The Guardian, Scientific American, and Boston Globe in 2004.

And in 2021, we already use lots of IoT devices in our every-day life and at work. IoT has
grown to be one of the hottest trends since the last few years, from being a mere theory to a
key priority in organizations worldwide.

The 4th industrial revolution introduced us with the Internet of Things (IoT), which is indeed
making a substantial impact in the world we live in today and the way modern businesses
work.

You might have noticed, everything seems to be connected to the Internet, from your
smartphone and laptop to baby monitors, wristwatches, refrigerators, medical equipment,
automobiles, and even manufacturing tools.

How cool is that?

Simply put, IoT is made up of two words: Internet & Things.

 Things – physical devices, appliances, gadgets, etc.

 Internet – through which these devices are connected

Ever watched a scene in a movie where someone claps and the lights switched on. Cool
right?

Well technology like that is no longer a work of fiction. With the internet of things, many
devices in your home can connect to each other and send information across. But what
exactly is it?

Technopedia defines the concept (IoT) as:

“The internet of things (IoT) is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday
physical objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other
devices.”

This would mean that normal everyday household items will be integrated with sophisticated
technology to do more.

You might also know IoT as “smart”. At the moment, it is currently in the infancy stage with
some devices around like smart TVs, smart refrigerators and smart entry locks. Sooner or
later, things like driverless cars and personal assistant devices (e.g. Google Glass) would
become the norm.

These devices work by using sensors that transmit data to a computer or software, allowing
them to perform important tasks. Due to their utility and high levels of automation, there has
been an increase in the number of devices being connected to the internet. On average, there
are 127 objects being synced up every second*.

How does it work?

The technology of IoT varies from one ecosystem or architecture to another. However, the
basic working concept remains the same.

The working process starts with the object or device such as digital watches, smartphones,
electronic appliances, and more to communicate securely with an IoT platform. Next, the
platform collects data from multiple devices and then analyses those data.

Now, it transfers all valuable data using applications to connected devices. Everything works
seamlessly through these components:

Connectivity

This component establishes an accurate connection between the entire IoT devices and the
IoT platform, which could be cloud infrastructure or server. The devices or sensors are
connected to the cloud through various communication mediums, including WAN, Wi-Fi,
satellite or mobile networks, or Bluetooth, to enable a bi-directional, secure, and reliable
communication.
Analysis

After the things or devices are connected, they start collecting data, analyse them in real-time,
and utilize them to create efficient business intelligence. This process could be like inspecting
the temperature on devices such as heaters or AC.

However, it could also include complex processes such as identifying objects through
computer vision. When you have quality insights into the collected data, you can call your
system smart.

Integration

IoT integrates several models to enhance user experience.

Sensors

Sensors are utilized in IoT to measure and detect some parameters and report their status. For
example, a temperature sensor can measure temperature change in the external environment
and then report it.

Artificial intelligence

IoT combines with artificial intelligence to enhance lives and convert things into smart
technologies by using data.

For example: If you own a coffee ☕ maker and its beans are about to end, the IoT system can
order more beans that you prefer from a retailer.

User Interface

Whatever the data IoT devices find valuable, it must be made available to you or the end-
user. It happens through an interface where they are notified through alarms or notifications
via text or email. The interface can check the connected IoT system actively and deliver the
information.

How does IoT help?

When something connects with the internet, it has both the capabilities of sending and/or
receiving information, making it smart.

And being smart does not mean it needs to possess a supercomputer or super storage inside it.
All it requires is access by connecting to a computer or storage.

Similarly, IoT is creating loads of opportunities by linking the computer systems with the
real, physical world.

For example, just a few years ago, when you wanted to listen to your favourite song(s) on
your mobile phone, you had to download each song. Now, you can listen to any music you
want without downloading it necessarily. All you have to do is access where it is stored on
the internet.

Benefits of the internet of things:

IoT is an important piece of technology that is set to improve greatly over time. There are
many advantages of having things connected to each other. Here are a few of the benefits:

1) More data means better decisions

With added sensors, these devices are able to collect a large amount of data on many different
areas.

For example, in addition to the practical elements of being able to know which foods are
going out of date in your smart refrigerator, this enhanced household item will be able to give
you additional information on its power consumption, temperature, average time of the door
spent open and much more.

A greater flow of information means that the company behind the device can analyse large
trends in the data to better improve the features of the device.

Many companies are realising the power of this technology and it is leading to a large
increase in the market. In fact, the total market value of IoT is set to grow to over $3 trillion
annually by 2026.
2) Ability to track and monitor things

As well as tracking data for a company to use, it also greatly benefits the user.

These devices would have the ability to keep an eye out on the current quality of goods at
home. Knowing the state of your items will allow a homeowner to know when they need to
replace an item, without them having to consistently check the quality themselves.

3) Lighten the workload with automation

Having a device doing most the work for you means that you can save more time and cost.
Imagine having your fridge order a new carton of milk to be delivered when it reaches a
certain level of expiry? Sounds good to me.

This greatly reduces human efforts. It also results in devices being created that need little to
no human intervention, allowing them to operate entirely on their own.

4) Increases efficiency by saving money and resources

As well as saving time for the device owner, it can also result in cost savings. For example, if
lights automatically turn themselves off the moment you leave the room, you could save a lot
of money on your electricity bills.

As you can see, connected devices can provide many useful implementations. The IoT
system encourages machine to machine (M2M) communication resulting in increased long-
term efficiency for both the company and user.

The rate of growth for machine to machine communication is high. The total number of
connections are set to grow from 5 billion in 2014 to 27 billion in 2024.

5) Better quality of life

In the end, all the benefits lead to an increased quality of life.

Having your devices track and order things for you, turn light switches off for you, and help
manage important tasks that you may not have the time to do yourself certainly takes away a
lot of stress.

There is no doubting that people are generally getting busier as the years go by. With so
many devices being created and new technology being implemented, it’s hard to keep track
of everything. It’s great to be able to be able to do the things you enjoy and have a computer
take care of the mundane things you know need to be done.

Improvements to your lifestyle, health benefits and improved wellness are also part of the IoT
future. For example, those that exercise regularly can utilise wearable technology to help
them track their heart rate, body temperature, hydration to stay in shape and monitor their
health.
IoT still has a long way to go

There is still a lot of untapped potential in the internet of things.

For the technology to reach its true potential, all devices would need to be able to
communicate with each other, regardless of the company or brand they belong to.

Companies would need to make sure that they are safeguarding the information they collect
on their users by protecting it as best as they can.

Here is a recap of the advantages that IoT brings to the table:

Efficiency

With faster connectivity through IoT systems, efficiency increases. It’s because the amount of
time spent on performing tasks reduces.

For example, if you want to find the answer to a question, instead of browsing on your phone
or turning your computer on, you can just ask a voice assistant such as Alexa.

Technical optimisation

You no longer have to operate multiple devices for each task manually if you use an IoT
system. Because it allows you to control everything using a single device like your
smartphone, you can easily control TV volumes, thermostat, dim your lights, etc.
Convenience

IoT systems have increased convenience, widely at home. IoT-enabled refrigerators, AC,
toaster, coffee maker, and much more are included in this. Hence, it’s making our lives
convenient and saving lots of time as well.

Some disadvantages:
 Security: Despite active security measures employed in IoT’s connected device
ecosystem, there is always a security challenge, given the cybersecurity threats are
becoming more advanced these days.

 Privacy: As IoT exposes a huge amount of detailed personal information, it could

create many privacy issues.

 Complexity: IoT is an advanced technology whose design is quite complicated. Plus,

maintenance and deployment are also not easy.

 Communication: IoT devices are designed for short-range interaction and

communication.

 Compliance: Sometimes, compliance issues may occur due to its complexity, privacy
issues, and a security breach.