Internet of Things IoT an Introduction

We have heard a lot of Internet of Things, and have seen a lot of futuristic animations of how world can be if IoT is implemented. this post is to look at what is IoT , what are the key drivers, which technologies enable it and what is the future scope of it.

What is IoT?

when talking about Internet of Things (IoT), I would like to borrow the quote of  Arthur . C. Clarke "Any sufficiently advanced technology is Indistinguishable from magic". Yes when we watch the videos on IoT by Intel, Cisco, Microsoft etc. it feels like magic. But there is a large amount of technology behind it. lets see what it is.

What if everything you could see, from your coffee mug to your light fitting to a milk carton in the fridge, was connected in some way?

What if the door or window could report on whether it was open or the heater’s thermostat could be set from your Smartphone?

Even as we ask such questions, a future in which physical objects of all kinds and sizes can be connected draws ever closer.

 Internet-connected objects, devices, and other “things” are proliferating in every domain

Farmers’ gates can be fitted with SIM cards to monitor whether they have been left open or allow farmers to close them remotely.

Buses, trains, and cars can be fit with monitoring devices so they can provide accurate information to both control rooms and customers.

Extending the current Internet and providing connection, communication, and inter-networking between devices and physical objects, or "Things," is a growing trend that is often referred to as the Internet of Things.

“The technologies and solutions that enable integration of real world data and services into the current information networking technologies are often described under the umbrella term of the Internet of Things (IoT)”

How is it Feasible

Ø  Wireless sensor n/w

Ø   Low cost sensors

Ø   Inter- connectivity b/w people, n/w's, devices

Ø   Connectivity b/w people, things

Ø   Common protocols

 

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN)

-      The networks typically run Low Power Devices

-       Consist of one or more sensors, could be different type of sensors (or actuators)

Sensor devices are becoming widely available

- Programmable devices

- Off-the-shelf gadgets/tools

People Connecting to Things

Things Connecting to Things

How are the networks changing?

−    Extensions

−    More nodes, more connections, IPv6, 6LowPan,...

−    Any TIME, Any PLACE + Any THING

−    M2M, IoT

−    Billions of interconnected devices,

−    Everybody connected.

−    Expansions

−    Broadband

−    Enhancements

−    Smart networks

−    Data-centric and content-oriented networking

−    Context-aware (autonomous) systems

When did it start

IoT’s roots can be traced back to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from work at the Auto-ID Center.

Founded in 1999, this group was working in the field of networked radio frequency identification (RFID) and emerging sensing technologies.

 The labs consisted of seven research universities located across four continents.

These institutions were chosen by the Auto-ID Center to design the architecture for IoT.

Technologies involved

Enabling technologies for the Internet of Things can be grouped into three categories:

(i) technologies that enable “things” to acquire contextual information,

(ii) technologies that enable “things” to process contextual information, and

(iii) technologies to improve security and privacy.

•      machine-to-machine (M2M) communications
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•     Passive and active radio frequency ID (RFID) 
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• Internet Protocol (IP) V6
• 
  
• (ADSL) broadband communications
• 
  
•  Wi-Fi, 4G mobile, low-power wireless standards such as Bluetooth and ZigBee
• 
  
•   micro-electromechanical systems, microcontroller units (MCUs)
• 
  
•    cloud computing, big data,  pervasive or wearable computing

USES of IoT

• Identification and tracking
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• Monitoring
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• Integrated control
• 
  
• Predictive business analysis
• 
  
• Early response
• 
  
• Efficient processes and service delivery

Applications

Health care is already making use of tele-health systems and services, an area likely to grow substantially over the coming years both inside hospitals and across community service delivery.

· Agriculture is looking to combine sensor data (such as soil analysis) with environmental data, satellite imaging, and so on.

· Physical retail is known to be struggling, particularly in light of lower-margin ecommerce. The future of physical retail lies in delivering improved experiences to customers, enabled by the internet of things.

· Public safety and defence can benefit from the increased use of sensors and monitoring, combined with information from broader sources (environmental, geospatial, and so on).

Examples

Health monitoring devices and associated online tools, such as Fitbit  for general health monitoring and Corvettes, a wireless cardiac monitor

Environmental monitoring tools such as the Netatmo weather station for meteorological data or the Nest intelligent thermostat, which learns the heating properties of a home and controls the boiler accordingly

Power management and control including Belkin’s WeMo, Ninja Blocks, and the Revolv (formerly Mobiplug) hub. These enable devices to be controlled from a central point

Potential inhibitors to the internet of things

ü  Security challenges

ü  Privacy and surveillance

ü  Meltdown

ü  IPv6 adoption

ü  Data storage investments

ü  Consumer needs

ü   Lack of a Shared Infrastructure

ü  Lack of Common Standards

ü   Battery Life

ü  Data Control

ü   Data Sharing

IoT describes a growing phenomenon in which every physical object can have some form of connection to the internet. The possibilities of what this enables are limitless.

However the IoT will not be without its challenges. Security, privacy, surveillance, and the potential for disruptive systems failure are all potential risks that will need to be mitigated as the market develops