Have you heard of internet of things(IOT)?
Imagine you’re at work and realize that you might not have turned off the air conditioner while leaving your house instead of traveling all the way back home what if you could use your smartphone to know the status of your ac and perhaps even turn it off wouldn’t that be amazing well yes and this can be achieved with the help of the internet of things in this blog we are going to well explain it.
What is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things or IoT simply means taking all the things in the world and connecting them to the Internet. Think about the device you’re using to read this article right now. It may be a desktop or laptop PC, a tablet, or a mobile phone, but whatever it is, it’s definitely connected to the Internet. We’ve become accustomed to having our computers and phones connected to the Internet, but as time goes on, more and more of our devices will be connected.
Almost any physical object can be transformed into an IoT device if it can be connected to the Internet. Some of them are simple, such as a light bulb that can be controlled through a smartphone app. Others might be more complex, such as a driverless car or a jet engine that’s filled with thousands of sensors. The term Internet of Things is mostly used with devices that you wouldn’t expect to be connected to the Internet, so things like computers and smartphones are not included. But almost any other device counts.
Why is IoT important?
The internet of things helps people live and work smarter, as well as gain complete control over their lives. In addition to offering smart devices to automate homes, IoT is essential to business. IoT provides businesses with a real-time look into how their systems really work, delivering insights into everything from the performance of machines to supply chain and logistics operations.
IoT enables companies to automate processes and reduce labor costs. It also cuts down on waste and improves service delivery, making it less expensive to manufacture and deliver goods, as well as offering transparency into customer transactions.
As such, IoT is one of the most important technologies of everyday life, and it will continue to pick up steam as more businesses realize the potential of connected devices to keep them competitive.
What are the Pros and cons of IoT
Some advantages of IoT:
- ability to access information from anywhere at any time on any device;
- improved communication between connected electronic devices;
- transferring data packets over a connected network saving time and money; and
- automating tasks helping to improve the quality of a business’s services and reducing the need for human intervention.
Some disadvantages of IoT:
- As the number of connected devices increases and more information is shared between devices, the potential that a hacker could steal confidential information also increases.
- Enterprises may eventually have to deal with massive numbers — maybe even millions — of IoT devices, and collecting and managing the data from all those devices will be challenging.
- If there’s a bug in the system, it’s likely that every connected device will become corrupted.
- Since there’s no international standard of compatibility for IoT, it’s difficult for devices from different manufacturers to communicate with each other.
Internet of Things example applications
The Internet of Things is already massive, with a Gartner report estimating 20.6 billion connected devices by 2020. This is nearly triple the entire population. Some of the most popular categories for IoT devices are: smart home, wearables, connected cars, industrial Internet, smart cities, agriculture, smart retail, energy engagement, healthcare, and poultry and farming.
Consumers are most likely to encounter IoT devices in the smart home. Google Home and Amazon Echo are smart speakers that make it easy to play music, set timers, and get information. Home security systems make it easier to monitor our homes and talk with visitors. Other devices like smart plugs, light bulbs, thermostats, and the smart fridge are also becoming more popular.
Wearables are another popular consumer category of IoT devices. They are used primarily for simple tasks, such as checking the time and tracking exercise. While they are not great for browsing the web or typing messages, they definitely have a future in healthcare. Wearable devices can passively monitor heart rate, glucose levels, blood pressure, and more.
Privacy and security concerns in IoT
Security is one of the most critical concerns in IoT, closely related to data ethics, privacy and liability. It must be built-in at every step of the design of the system. With millions of new devices connected every day, the number of potential points of attack grows daily. With so much at stake, security engineering skills, including threat assessment, ethical hacking, encryption to ensure data integrity, securing network architectures and applications, as well as event monitoring, activity logging, and threat intelligence, move to the foreground of the IoT development projects.
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