What is IoT? The Internet of Things (IoT), is a network of digital devices that transmit user data to the cloud using embedded sensors. They are best known for being used in “smart home” applications. The purpose of these interconnected devices is to make life easier and provide devices that communicate autonomously and respond to human stimuli.
IoT is gaining popularity in many areas, such as entertainment, home decor and security. It also allows for intelligent shopping assistance and manufacturing. IoT is built on technologies like cloud computing, machine learning (ML), naturallanguage processing (NLP) as well as constantly improving internet protocols.
What Major Infrastructure Components Are There in an IoT System?
An IoT network is composed of sensors that transmit user data, such as temperature and motion, to the internet via a connectivity channel. The data is processed using different Artificial intelligence (AI), and then a reply is sent back.
The IoT device being used will affect the response. A temperature change, an angle shift, the closing of the home theatre or other changes in the thermostat can all result in a change in IoT devices.
It is a collection of carefully ordered software and hardware components that makes up the infrastructure for IoT. They can be grouped as follows:
1)Sensors/Endpoint
Sensors are embedded into every IoT device. They are the parts that communicate with the stimulus for which the device was intended. They are responsible for capturing the analog signals and the electric pulses and allowing them to flow through the IoT ecosystem.
The data collected by these sensors could include human activity in the same way that a mobile phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope can pick up. The IoT device compatibility and data accuracy are the criteria for selecting the sensors.
2)Connectivity layer
A medium is required to transfer the sensor’s data to the data processing layers. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are just a few examples of reliable IoT network data transfer networks. Li-Fi, which allows data to travel as photons, can be used to maintain interconnections. When selecting the network that is right for you, it is important to consider power consumption, range and bandwidth.
3)Compute Engine
The compute engines built on cloud services such as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) or Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) take care of the data processing. The data is preprocessed, converted into a format compatible with machine-learning methods like clustering, regression models, dimensionality reduction, and so on.
The data processing scenarios used to build ML models depend on the use of computer vision and temperature checks. These models can also provide insight to improve the system, and reduce future error margins for the IoT device.
4) Security Layer
Protecting sensitive user data at the heart of IoT is a major concern. We use state-of the-art firmware and antimalware systems to ensure IoT system access control and encryption. These security provisions apply at every level of the system in which data is exchanged.
5)User Interface
While there are many methods for the user to interact with the IoT network, the majority of visible communication occurs through a mobile app. The IoT device may send notifications to users. A smart water heater might notify the user that water is hot enough. Users could also check surveillance video using an IoT monitoring instrument.
Although some actions can be performed automatically, others may be accessed by the user via the mobile app. Automation is useful in home security systems that can notify the authorities in the case of a burglary and inform the user about it through the mobile app.
What Existing Applications of IoT are These?
IoT is used by a broad range of sectors, such as transport, healthcare and home entertainment. Here are some of the most current IoT applications in real-world situations:
1)Industrial IoT
Industrial IoT, also known as Industrial Internet (IIoT), is the integration of automated industrial equipment and predictive and prescriptive analysis. This is making it possible to make more industrial business decisions. IIoT is used to detect corrosion in machines, identify additional capacity in supply chain, and gather operations and service data for highly effective manufacturing strategies.
2)Smart Grids
Smart grids based on IoT technology are the basis of future smart cities. IoT-powered smart networks help manage traffic, water supply, early detections of power influxes, as well as early detections of earthquakes or floods. IoT is increasingly being used to integrate advanced power lines, seismographs, smart meters and other devices for this purpose.
3)Business Intelligence
IoT devices that are embedded with sensors gather large amounts data, which can help businesses to generate valuable insights and predict market outcomes. These insights, which are based on user behavior or buying patterns, are extremely valuable in the digital age. The data collected from IoT devices is available to companies that want to increase customer satisfaction and offer a better customer service.
Other Popular Applications
There are many more uses of IoT that are well-known to even the most inept technologists. These include:
- Automated Vehicles
- Fleet management
- Infrastructure maintenance
- Farm equipment
- Digitalization in factories
- Home entertainment
What will the future of IoT look like?
Research in many future applications is being driven by IoT’s potential to gather user data through embedded sensors. The future will see data-driven key performance indicator, statistics for mean times between failures, as well as other information, being implemented.
1)It will Drive Better Workforce Management
IoT has the potential to transform workforce management in organizations, thereby increasing margins and improving overall performance. Remote IoT applications can be used for non-intrusive micromanagement, which will allow employees to achieve a higher productivity rate.
The mobile workforce management system can help companies to improve efficiency in the seemingly permanent remote work paradigm. IoT-enabled embedded cell phones can help with performance tracking, on-site work assignment, and compliance.
2)It will Transform Customer Relationship Management
This technology will allow companies to optimize their Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM) for early detection and resolution of customer dissatisfaction. IoT provides CRM systems with real-time data access from embedded sensors within devices.
This data will enable IoT product-based businesses to quickly detect and fix flaws in device performance. IoT software can be used to create service tickets in CRM software that is optimized for IoT. This will increase customer support’s efficiency.
3)It will help physical retailers compete with E-commerce giants
According to a MarketsAndMarkets report, the IoT market in retail will grow to USD 35.5 Billion by 2025. IoT technology is increasingly being adopted by retail companies to increase supply chain visibility, improve inventory management and provide better customer service.
Physical retailers must use IoT capabilities to remain competitive in an industry dominated by ecommerce giants. IoT allows physical retailers to integrate cloud integration, contactless payments, and other features.
4) It Will Expand Horizontally Across Industry Verticals
IoT vendors have core use cases that can be applied across a single industry vertical by using IoT technology, such as asset tracking or data analytics. The technology can then be applied horizontally in other verticals of the industry based on its Return on Investment (ROI).
This expansion plan can be seen in automated cars. Vehicle automation companies can install IoT enabled asset tracking software in vehicles. Then, based on whether they have a fast ROI, the company can decide to incorporate more IoT use cases in their vehicles.