24/12/2018
IoT involves extending internet connectivity beyond standard devices, such as desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets, to any range of traditionally dumb or non-internet-enabled physical devices and everyday objects. Embedded with technology, these devices can communicate and interact over the internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled.
IoT device examples and applications
Connected devices are part of a scenario in which every device talks to other related devices in an environment to automate home and industry tasks, and to communicate usable sensor data to users, businesses and other interested parties. IoT devices are meant to work in concert for people at home, in industry or in the enterprise. As such, the devices can be categorized into three main groups: consumer, enterprise and industrial.
Consumer connected devices include smart TVs, smart speakers, toys, wearables and smart appliances. Smart meters, commercial security systems and smart city technologies -- such as those used to monitor traffic and weather conditions -- are examples of industrial and enterprise IoT devices. Other technologies, including smart air conditioning, smart thermostats, smart lighting and smart security, span home, enterprise and industrial uses.
In a smart home, for example, a user arrives home and his car communicates with the garage to open the door. Once inside, the thermostat is already adjusted to his preferred temperature, and the lighting is set to a lower intensity and his chosen color for relaxation, as his pacemaker data indicates it has been a stressful day.
In the enterprise, smart sensors located in a conference room can help an employee locate and schedule an available room for a meeting, ensuring the proper room type, size and features are available. When meeting attendees enter the room, the temperature will adjust according to the occupancy, and the lights will dim as the appropriate PowerPoint loads on the screen and the speaker begins his presentation.
IoT devices
On a plant floor, an assembly line machine outfitted with sensors will provide sensor data to the plant operator, informing her of anomalies and predicting when parts will need to be replaced. Such information can prevent unexpected downtime, along with lost productivity and profits.
In the field, such notifications can alert users to what is wrong, as well as the parts needed to fix a problem, preventing the need to send a field service worker out to diagnose an issue, only to waste her time driving to a warehouse, finding the correct part and returning to the site.
