About quarter of a century ago, if someone told you that one day you would be able to share and receive information from anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds, you would not have believed. The invention of Internet revolutionized the way the information is shared in the world. The internet got everyone connected like never before and everyone has access to almost any information at anytime. The internet has changed the way to business, the way we socialize, the way we have fun, etc. Now the internet is changing the way we use things. The internet of things or IoT is the latest development in the way the internet is being used over the years. Now, you’d be curious to know, what is “things” in the internet of things? Well, “things” could be anything like, goods, machines, objects, appliances, vehicles, buildings and many more. “Things” could be just about anything.
What is the Internet of Things?
Internet of things is the network of things (each having a unique IP address) connected to each other and at the same time connected to the internet. As mentioned earlier these things could be anything like your refrigerator, your car, your watch, your mobile phone etc. For example, you can have a chip/sensor placed in your car to monitor the performance of the engine; now with the help of internet of things, you can also program the chip/sensor to send a message to your mobile if the performance of the engine goes below a certain level. This connectivity of devices and their ability to perform a task is known as “Internet of Things”.
The opportunities are endless with the Internet of things; everything and everyone can be connected to each other and to the internet. You can have your devices or objects to do tasks for you. You can control your home appliances and devices using the smartphone from anywhere.
Home appliances and devices are not the only things that can be monitored and controlled with the help of Internet of things; Industries from every sector are making use of internet of things to improve processes, increase productivity and to increase the bottom line.
How does the Internet of Things Works
Following are the steps to make any object or device a smart object or smart device
- First, we will have to give the object/device a unique identity to differentiate it from other similar objects/device. IPv6 helps us by giving the object/device a unique IP address. Anything that we want to connect to the internet should have its unique IP address.
- Second, we will need to connect the object/device to the internet.
- Third, we need to give the object/device sensor depending on what task we would want it to accomplish
- Finally, we need some way to control the object/device from anywhere in the world, which can be done using small electronic circuits which can be embedded in the object/device or on it.
Practical Applications of the Internet of Things
The possibilities with the Internet of Things are enormous. We can literally connect anything and everything with the Internet of Things. Below is the list of some most common applications of the Internet of Things.
Smart Cities
Smart Roads
Smart highway management showing warning signs as per the climate conditions
Smart Parking
Intelligent parking management across the city
Retail
Smart Supply Chain Management
Intelligent management of supply chain based on the storage conditions
Product Management
Automatic Re-stocking process based on intelligent control of rotation of products in warehouses and shelves
These are just a few examples, there are many more applications to the IoT and so are the opportunities. For further information on the Internet of Things and how to be part of the wonderful future with the Internet of Things or for any further information, you can write to can write to us.
