What is the Internet of Things?
What is the Internet of Things?¶
Imagine a near fully-automated world - you wake in the morning and the curtains open up immediately. In the kitchen, your coffee is hot and ready for you (with cream too, just the way you like it) and your dog has been fed, courtesy of your pet feeder. Your home’s water heater was already turned on before you got in the shower, and outside your water sprinklers have just turned on even though you weren’t aware your soil had become a bit too dry for your lawn. A world like this sounds like the work of science fiction, something a bit too far fetched that we’d probably see in the next one hundred years or so… but it isn’t, actually it is much closer than you think.
This automated world is made possible entirely through The Internet of Things - a fast-growing paradigm that enables electronic devices and sensors (“things”) to communicate with one another across the Internet in order to facilitate our lives. In short, the Internet of Things, or IoT, is a network of interrelated devices all collecting and sharing data in real-time. They have their own language and ways of communicating over a network, just as we do when we call or text someone. These “things” can be any device ranging from smartphones and fitbits, to thermostats, lights, refrigerators and even cars. Once the device can collect data and transfer it over a wireless network, you best believe it is in the IoT.
The IoT smart devices have provided innovative solutions to various challenges and issues related to various industries across the world - for example, just look at what the IoT has done for Barcelona, turning it into one of the very first smart cities. IoT is progressively becoming an important aspect of our life and is an innovation that has put together an extensive variety of smart systems and devices, making our world smarter and more responsive, all to make our lives better.