Internet of Things(IoT)

May 30, 2016 - 5 minutes read

INTERNET OF THINGS

What if your alarm wakes you up at 6 in the morning and then notifies your coffee maker to brew a coffee?

This might be one of the simple applications of Internet of Things. IoT is simply the interconnection of computing devices (mechanical or digital machines), actuators and objects where data is transferred over a network without human interaction. Each device talks with other device over a network and each device has its own IP address (thanks to newly introduced IPv6). For e.g. consider a small refrigerator, It keeps tracks of the availability of food items and their expiry date and places order to next grocery shop if quantity is found below the pre- specified limit.

The connection of physical things to the internet makes it possible to access remote sensor data and to control the physical world from distance. A smart object, which is the building block of Internet of Things, is another name for the embedded device connected to the Internet.

When objects become embedded with sensors and ability to communicate, the new system of networks will improve business solutions, reduce costs and risks and build new business model.

Internet of thing (IoT) is creating buzz. Increase in broadband, penetration of internet, advent of IPv6 and need of automation has made IoT, a hot topic. With IPv6 in existence, every atom on earth can be assigned an IP address and that can be done with 100 more earths. So the new future rule will be “anything that can be connected will be connected”.

“A whole constellation of inanimate objects is being designed with built-in wireless connectivity, so that they can be monitored, controlled and linked over the Internet via a mobile app”.

Research group Gartner predicts that 4.9 billion connected devices will be in use this year, and the number will reach 25 billion by 2020.

HOW DOES IOT work?

IoT consists of web-enabled devices that collect, send and act on data they acquire from their surrounding using sensors, processors and hardware. These devices are called connected device or smart device where each interacts with other to take further step. Connected device generates massive amount of internet data which is great for analyzing of procedure, conditions and then can create new devices.

Firstly, there is underlying technology, the various wireless radios which allows the different objects to connect with each other over the internet. These standards include wi-fi, Bluetooth, NFC, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), ZigBee, Z-wave and 6LoWPAN.

Then, there are things themselves, motion sensors, washing machines, tracker, etc. There is central hub  that allows to connect to one another.

Finally, there are cloud services which enables collection and analysis of data so that people can see what’s going on and can take actions accordingly.

 An example to guide how useful IoT can be: consider an agriculture farm.

Traditional way of growing a crop is dependent on rainfall, physical inspection and assumptions. IoT improves this system by equipping the farmland with different sensors, connecting all the objects & devices and granting access to these devices so that human can work remotely. Synchronization of objects like mobile app, fertilizer releaser, tractors is done by connecting these objects over the cloud network. A lot of real time data is generated with the help of GPS satellites, sensors and tractors on the field. This data can be accessed via charts and reports on the mobile device (desktops, mobile app, tablets, etc.). This data help you analyze when to plant, which seed to plant, when to harvest and how much yield to expect. Using sensors, soil content, whether, water, crops health, etc. is easily available on the app. This data can be accessed remotely.

In this era, the users of the internet will be counted in billions and where human will become the minority as generators and receivers of internet traffic. Instead, most traffic will flow between device and “things”.

We at Actung Labs value innovation. For more update follow our blog and stay connected by following our social media links.