With technological advancement, our machines get smarter and more efficient. The world is getting transformed with new ideas and innovations springing to life from all corners of the world,with the help of internet. Connectivity has reached a new height. More and more devices are connected to each other with an easy access to collection and exchange of data.Â
Generally, we relate being connected in terms of laptops, smartphones, or tablets. The concept of Internet of Things broadens the scope to every physical object around us.  Very loosely and broadly speaking, Internet of Things (IoT) refers to connecting everyday physical things to the internet and reaping the benefits. These “things” are embedded with software, sensors, and network connectivity that makes the collection and exchange of data possible. The things should be able to identify themselves to the other things. The Internet of Things and IoT can be used interchangeably.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
On a technical level, the Internet of Things is a network of interconnected devices and objects (or things) that can exchange data over a network without any human to machine or machine to machine (m2m) interaction. The devices may be mechanical or digital. The objects include animals and people who are connected with unique identifiers to transfer data over the network. The concept aims to automate everything from home appliances to large factories.
All things or devices that are connected to the internet are either able to collect, store, and transfer information or they receive information and respond by taking an action. Some devices may be able to do both.Iot is a network of devices and things that are embedded with sensors, software, and electronics for an easy exchange of data and information.
The British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton is said to have coined the term Internet of Things in the year 1999, though the concept had been there much longer. He realized that we were increasingly extending the internet to accommodate more and more things and thus came up with the term Internet of Things. Twenty years later, using this concept, we have entered an age of very
advanced connectivity of networks, devices, and systems. By 2020 there are expected to be over 20 billion connected devices.
How Does IoT Work
The concept of IoT can be applied from vending machines to vehicles to ATMs and even homes. Anything that can house a sensor or control technology can be connected to a wireless network. Iotm2m is more or less the same thing; IoT refers to wireless communication whereas m2m is communication between any two machines, wired or wireless. All businesses realize the importance of machine to machine (m2m) communication. The main purpose of machine to machine technology is to access data from a sensor and transmit it to a network. This enables the system to monitor itself and automatically respond to any changes in the environment. The process allows an intervention by a human or any control device to assess the data and direct the system to take an appropriate action.
Also Read about: What 2018 holds for IoT: Top Trends and Future Possibilities
IoT Devices
IoT devices can be categorized into:
1) Smart Home Devices include electronic locks, automated curtains, thermostats, etc. Your smartphone is the control device for all these applications. For example, the homeowner will be immediately informed in case of a security breach through interconnected devices.
2) Wearables are generally devices such as smart watches and fitness bands that people carry with them and connect to their smartphones. These devices monitor the vital body parameters of the wearer and help them to live mindfully or respond by taking an action when something is amiss.
3) m2m devices are those that are connected directly to the cellular network. For example, reporting the location of a vehicle in case of a breakdown happens via m2m network.
Conclusion
The endless possibilities of IoT inventions are changing the world at its root.The Internet of Things have profoundly changed the way we live, communicate, and work. The technological advancement in the Iot and m2m space holds out promise of managing ourdevices more effectively and productively. We are able to make better informed and timely decisions based on our continuous stream of data collected from our connected devices.Businesses can gain insights from the exchange of data and improve their responses to customers as well as make their procedures more cost effective.
Author Bio:
Ashwin Patil is a passionate content marketer who writes on technology, tech trends, tech reviews. Also, I work with people, organizations and the community to deliver solutions which are driven by Big Data, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Deep Learning & Artificial Intelligence.
