Iot, Internet of things
Internet of things means that more objects or things that we own will be connected to each other in different ways. By being connected to each other and also to internet, the object or “thing” will be able to collect data or be controlled over internet.
This may be anything from things in our homes, big industries, society functions or similar. The internet of things can aid streamlining and saving when developing industries. For each man, smart objects can help in day-to-day life, such as a smart watch that can wake you up in the right sleep phase.
Smart homes is a growing industry that is becoming increasingly more popular among consumers. Smart homes means that intelligent things can recognise if a person is close or not so that ventilation or heat only will turn on if they are present.
- Regards any object or “thing” that is connected to each other and can send information.
- Exists in everything from smart homes, fashion, exercise equipment, healthcare and big industries.
- Requires information to be shared through bluetooth, wifi or the phone network.
- Sweden is one of the leading countries in the development of internet of things.
- Will require infrastructure that can manage vast amounts of data.
- Cyber threats are a huge problem for internet of things.
- Self driving cars will be a part of internet of things.
IoT benefits
- IoT promotes interaction between different units
- IoT provides great automation and control
- IoT has strong admin features
- IoT saves you time
- IoT saves resources due to decreased manual task that take time
- IoT can automate daily live through different units
- IoT boost life quality
Security issues with internet of things
The more things that are connected and managed with internet, the more is at risk for hacks and mismanagement. An example could be healthcare that only have medical records in serveres that could be hacked and shut down. All of a sudden healthcare could be left empty handed.
Even though new ways to protect against cyber threats are developed, it’s like cutting the head of a hydra since hackers always figure out new loopholes to take advantage of.
Among the more common objects that are connected to internet are security cameras that are private or public. By being connected to internet a person can with internet reach the camera and spy. It’s recommended to have passwords for babymonitors, webcams, and private security cameras.
Self-steering and connected cars
One of the most controversial developments within internet of things is the self-steering car that is completely autonomous. The car is wirelessly connected to internet and other drivers, and can quickly collect a vast amount of data to drive safely.
By connecting to internet, the car can take in information if an accident has happened further down the road and therefore take another turn to get to end destination faster. The information will be anything that humans currently don’t have access to themselves while driving the car.
Of course the cars wont only be connected to internet, they will also be connected to other cars in nearby locations. In that way you can warn each other if a kid is passing the road or an icy road is ahead.
Internet of things for consumers
When it comes to individuals, the Internet of Things will be able to help with all sorts of things. An example that is often cited is self-driving cars, a reality that still feels far away for many. Another example of something that the Internet of Things will be able to assist with is to keep track of a person’s weight curve. Imagine that your mobile together with some kind of exercise clock counts how many steps you take in a day and thus can calculate how many calories you should eat. Then, to suggest meals you can cook for those calories. This list can then be double-checked with what you have in your refrigerator, and then get a list of what you need to shop home. What if this is then linked to an account you have with a service that delivers food to your home. Well, the stuff around you has helped you with your new year’s resolution, all because of the Internet of Things.
Internet of things for industries
Of course, it is not only private individuals who use and will use IoT. Industries also have much to gain from connecting various machines in a smart way via the Internet. When industries use the Internet of Things, it is usually abbreviated to IIOT, the Industrial Internet of Things. With IIoT, industries can monitor, collect and analyze data in detail and thus gain valuable insights on how the business can be streamlined and improved. By getting this detailed information, companies can make faster and more accurate business decisions. With machine-to-machine communication with big data analytics, new cyber security, industries have been able to increase their efficiency, productivity and performance. Adding things like HMI (Human-Mahine Interface) and SCADA (Supervsory Control AND Data Acquisition) can really help IIoT increase profitability and improve how staff work.
Internet of things together with 5G
With the progress of IoT, more and more things will have to use the internet. This will require a lot of our mobile networks and 4G will not be enough to handle the need. That is why people are working feverishly with 5G worldwide right now. With 5G we will experience much higher speeds on the internet, the expectation is that we will have access to 100 Megabit/s. In addition to the increased speed, 5G will also have a reduced latency. For example, if you want a car connected to the Internet of Things so that it can drive itself, it can be a dangerous trip if the car takes half a second too long to make a critical maneuver. With 5G, one should expect a latency of as little as one millisecond. The so-called Beamforming that 5G will deliver will enable the signals from the masts to be steered in the direction in which the units are located. This makes the utilization of available capacity much more accurate.
If you want to read more about 5G you can do this here.
Things you probably didn’t know about IoT
- Even if IoT sounds super futuristic, the first unit was actually connecte to the internet a decade before the first web browser was launched.
- There are more IoT units connected to internet than people since 2008.
- When you think of IoT Google home probably comes to mind. But the fact is that the market is mostly dominated by Smart cities.
- Powerless units are being developed so that you don’t have to change battery or connect them to a plug. These are mainly developed to use light as energy source.
Last update 28 Oct 2020