EngCourse_ELFILALI_3Nov2023

Internet of Things
Internet of Things (IoT), the vast array of physical objects equipped with sensors
and software that enable them to interact with little human intervention by collecting
and exchanging data via a network. The Internet of Things (IoT) includes the many
“smart,” computer-like devices so commonplace today, which can connect with
the Internet or interact via wireless networks; these “things” include phones,
appliances, lighting systems, irrigation systems, security cameras, vehicles, even
animals and cities. Today, smart watches track exercise and steps, smart speakers
add items to shopping lists and switch lights on and off, and transponders1 allow cars
to pass through tollbooths and pay the fee electronically.

The IoT simplifies and automates tasks that are complicated and sometimes beyond
the scope of human capabilities. The number of connected devices making up the IoT
today ranks in the billions.

How the Internet of Things works

At the foundation of the IoT is Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP). These standards and rules form the basis for sensors,
devices, and systems to connect with the Internet and with each other. The IoT
processes data from the devices and communicates the information via wired and
wireless networks, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5G and Long Term
Evolution (LTE) cellular, radio frequency identification (RFID), and near field
communication (NFC)2. Typically, IoT devices connect to IoT gateways or edge
devices that collect data. They feed data to and from cloud
computing environments, which store and process the information. A broad array
of networking standards ensure that the data is then sharable and reaches the correct
“thing,” thereby connecting the physical world with the digital.

Two basic types of connected devices exist: digital-first and physical-first. The former
consists of machines and devices specifically designed with built-in connectivity, such
as smartphones, streaming media players, mobile payment terminals,3
agricultural combines,4 and jet engines. Digital-first devices generate data and
communicate with other machines through machine-to-machine (M2M)
communications. Physical-first devices, on the other hand, include a microchip or a
sensor with communication capabilities. For example, a key chain, a vehicle, or a
medical device in a hospital may contain a chip—added after it was manufactured—
that makes the object or product newly functional and traceable. Some observers
classify products according to a more detailed spectrum of interactivity,
consisting of not two categories but five, ranging from the pure digital (followed by
digital first, dual use, and physical first) to pure device (without any digital
capabilities).

1 a wireless communication, monitoring or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal.
2 a short-range wireless connectivity technology that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between
devices
3 Transform payments with your mobile device and allow easy acceptance in a secure environment at minimal cost.
4 Combine is a harvesting machine which is mechanised in such a way that it performs reaping, threshing and winnowing

of crops by use of this single machine only.

EngCourse_ELFILALI_3Nov2023
TASK TO ERFORM

Match the words (1-10) with their meanings (a-j):

1. tollbooths a. a system for connecting a number of

computer systems to form a local area
network, with protocols to control the
passing of information and to
avoid simultaneous transmission by two or
more systems.

2. Internet Protocol b. a set of standards or requirements for

addressing and routing data on the internet.

3. Radio frequency identification c. connects your TV to the internet.

4. streaming media players d. a type of passive wireless technology

that allows for tracking or matching of
an item or individual.

5. Transmission Control Protocol e. happening or seen frequently.

6. Commonplace f. communications standard that enables

application programs and computing devices
to exchange messages over a network.

7. Sensors g. a mechanical device sensitive to

light, temperature, radiation level, or
the like, that transmits a signal to a
measuring or control instrument.

8. Ethernet h. a roadside kiosk where drivers

or pedestrians must pay to use a bridge or
road.

9. Cloud computing i. allows each user to live the

experience they want, in the way they wish.

10. Spectrum of interactivity j. works by enabling client devices to access

data and cloud applications over the internet
from remote physical servers, databases and
computers.
TASK TO ERFORM

Based on your reading of the text state the main benefits of IoT.

Adapted from:https://www.britannica.com/science/Internet-of-Things