The Internet of Things is an emerging technology that connects everyday objects like your refrigerator, thermostat, and light bulbs to the internet. IoT allows these “smart” devices to communicate with each other and make your life easier by automating tasks such as turning on the lights when you walk into a room or adjusting the temperature in your home when it gets too hot.
This article will explain what exactly IoT is and how it can be used in both personal and business use cases. We’ll also provide some recent statistics about just how prevalent IoT has become in today’s world. So if you’re curious to learn more, then read on!
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Internet of Things
The Internet of Things, commonly abbreviated as IoT, is a network made up of devices connected to the internet and can connect with each other. These devices range from personal wearables like the Fitbit to household appliances such as thermostats and dishwashers. The primary purpose of these types of devices is to automate specific processes that are usually tedious or time-consuming for humans. For example, instead of manually turning the lights on every time you enter a room, an IoT light fixture could be programmed to automatically turn itself on when someone walks in. In 2021, there are more than 10 billion active IoT devices and is expected to grow to 25.4 billion active IoT devices by the end of 2030.
Benefits of IoT
The main benefit of the Internet of Things is that it allows for automation, saving time and effort. For example, you could have your coffee maker programmed to start brewing right when your alarm clock wakes you up in the morning so that by the time you’re ready to leave for work, it’s already brewed and waiting for you.
The Internet of Things also has lifestyle benefits. For example, some smart cars are programmed to automatically signal for a left turn when the driver is trying to make one. This saves drivers from having to manually reach for the indicator every time they want to change lanes.
Consumers are more connected than ever before. Every second, 127 devices hook up to the internet for the first time. The consumer IoT market is estimated to reach $142 billion by 2026, growing 17% annually.
How does it work?
The Internet of Things works by assigning unique identifiers to devices. For example, if you own a smartwatch with an internet connection, it will have its own individual identifier called a MAC address linked to your account. When this watch is synced with your phone, the watch sends out broadcast messages via Wi-Fi every few minutes giving its location so that other devices can get in touch with it.
Once these devices send and receive messages from other devices, they can link together to form large networking systems. These systems work by having an Internet-connected server act as the backbone that all the different devices in the IoT network connect with. This ensures that all devices can access information through one central hub.
How can it be used in business?
As you can imagine, there are innumerable ways that organizations can use the Internet of Things. For example, if a company has buildings or warehouses around the world, they could use IoT devices to monitor temperature and security in these locations and make sure they always remain running smoothly and at optimal temperatures. If a business wanted to cut back on overhead expenses like energy consumption, they could set up smart lighting that automatically turns itself off every time a room hasn’t been occupied for a certain amount of time.
Some companies choose to use IoT devices to monitor the quality and freshness of food products. Refrigerators with internet connectivity can sense when food is becoming old and needs replacing. This ensures that businesses are never throwing away spoiled food.
83% of organizations have improved their efficiency by introducing IoT technology.
Emerging IoT trends
One emerging trend in IoT is something called smart dust. This tiny wireless sensor can be used for just about anything, from monitoring air quality to checking blood sugar levels.
Another trend is smart homes, where you have every appliance in your house controllable through the internet. This means that you’d be able to adjust your home’s temperature, perform appliance tasks like setting alarms or starting coffee, etc., all from one central hub.
It’s estimated that global IoT spending will total $15 trillion in the six-year period between 2019 and 2025.
Internet of Things roadblocks
While it’s true that the IoT market is snowballing, there are still some problems that will need to be worked out before we reach its full potential. One such problem is reliability. If an Internet-connected device isn’t working properly, you’ll lose functionality in all other devices attached to it. This is why service providers working with the IoT need to ensure they hire skilled technicians to handle any repairs that might arise.
Another potential problem with the IoT is privacy. The more smart devices you have in your home, the harder it becomes to protect your personal information from being accessed by unauthorized parties. Cybersecurity is a major issue for companies that manufacture IoT devices. IoT devices are typically attacked within five minutes of connecting to the internet (source: NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report). According to Forbes, the number of malware incidents involving IoT devices has grown from 813 million in 2018 to a staggering 2.9 billion already the following year. In 2020, IoT hardware made up approximately a third of infected devices.
Unlocking the potential of Internet of Things in your organisation?
Many businesses have already started seeing how beneficial IoT is and have begun taking steps to integrate connected devices into their workforce. For example, Google’s self-driving car uses over 100 sensors to communicate real-time data back to the driver. These sensors also collect information about the surrounding environment, which can be analysed by Google engineers for increased safety and convenience.
While security and reliability are certainly going to be concerns moving forward, if more companies start taking advantage of the benefits provided by IoT devices, it’ll help speed up the growth of IoT devices. The amount of data generated by IoT devices is expected to reach 73.1 ZB (zettabytes) by 2025. The volume of data that will be generated through the widespread use of IoT devices will lead to greater innovations in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to ensure that the real benefit of IoT devices can be realised in a timely manner for consumer and business solutions. In the coming years, we will see more advancements in device intelligence and data management to make investments in IoT more feasible.
An example of this are smartphone companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google, where they have made vast improvements in smartphone cameras. Instead of creating specialised depth sensing sensors which could lead to a higher cost of the IoT device (your smart phone). Both companies have built and trained Machine Learning models from the data of the device to detect three-dimensional space with ordinary cameras, thereby reducing the cost of imaging technology while increasing resolution.
Career opportunities in IoT
Besides jobs involving IoT device creation and business application deployments, there are also opportunities for remote IoT data management jobs. If you are already skilled at working with databases and data analysis, there is potential for you to get hired by an organization that needs help managing the vast amounts of information collected by their smart devices.
If you are interested in becoming a Certified IOT Architect and want to design and implement IOT solutions for your organisation, you don’t need to look further. EZY Skills has an IoT Architect track comprised of three courses that develop fundamental skills in the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and architecture, along with proficiency in radio protocols, telemetry messaging, and IoT architecture layers.
