What is Internet of Things?
Learn how businesses can work to prevent harm to human health and the environment.
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects
An ecosystem of connected physical objects and devices that are accessible through the internet makes up the Internet of Things. The ‘thing’ in IoT are any objects that have been assigned an IP address and have the ability to collect and transfer data over a network without any manual assistance or intervention. It could even be a person with a heart monitor or an automobile with built-in sensors.
In other words, one could say that it is a system of interrelated computing devices that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The data passed across is completely based on computer-to-computer interaction.
How it operates
Internet of Things is a transformational force that can connect devices embedded in various systems to the internet.
Devices connected digitally can be controlled from anywhere, also known as remotely controlled. This helps in collecting more data in real-time from more places, thus increasing efficiency and improving performance through IoT analytics and IoT security.
Data is collected from the environment by sensors or devices that act as sensors.
Data is then transferred to the cloud, also known as an IoT platform, using some connectivity.
The software then processes the data to understand the situation.
Lastly, information is passed on to the end-user in a language understandable by them.
Here comes the factor of complete automation or manual adjustment, as per selection. For example, the user might remotely adjust the temperature in the cold storage via an app on their phone but when set on automatic, the system will do it automatically via predefined rules.
Key Benefits and Business Growth with IoT services
IoT encourages Machine-to-Machine(M2M) communication between devices, the devices stay connected physically leading to quality control & efficiency.
The wireless infrastructure, digitally and centrally connecting all physical devices, keep automation and control in place.
IoT brings in more information leading to better knowledge that helps make better decisions, big or small.
IoT collects the exact information needed for constant monitoring. For eg., IoT helps to monitor air quality and temperature to the level of printer ink or expiration of products.
IoT is a step towards a better quality of life due to its culmination of increased comfort, convenience, and better management.
IoT helps save a lot of operational time as the process is automated and the self-communicating quality of IoT saves a lot of money.
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The Internet of Things refers to the network of things (physical objects) that can be connected to the Internet to collect and share data without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
An IoT solution is a combination of devices or other data sources, outfitted with sensors and internet connected hardware to securely report information back to an IoT platform. This information is often a physical metric which can help users answer a question or solve a specific problem.
IoT application examples include:
- A house security camera that records and detects changes, while alerting a smartphone
- An elevator-monitoring system that tracks proper functioning, so that engineers can make scheduled maintenance at a convenient time before failure
- Drivers who are directed to vacant parking for their car in a smart city
- Hospital patient monitoring
- Listening for earthquakes
The high growth areas for IoT include security and surveillance, supply chain management, inventory and warehouse, facility management, industrial asset management, smart products, energy management and fleet management. IoT can provide more product features to customers, it can be used for managed services of devices, IoT data can help with product evolution, it can help with product consumables reordering, predictive maintenance when needed based on usage and data.
Devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo allows your voice to control your surroundings, ask for information, listen to the news, ask about the weather, communicate with others and control your television. Vehicles can have IoT for navigation, maintenance updates, traffic warnings, self driving and most efficient route selection. Thus IoT and AI have a great scope in future.