What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
In both corporate and consumer electronics, IT, and associated industries, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become a catchphrase. The promise of revolutionizing how people interact with technology has prompted a boom in investment in IoT technologies, but how can we tell the relevance of the excitement?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a collection of devices, automobiles, home appliances, and other items integrated with electronics, algorithms, sensors, actuators, and connectivity to collect and exchange data. This data can be transmitted to other devices via regular communication protocols or existing infrastructure. The terms Smart objects and Web of Things are frequently used interchangeably, despite the fact that they have different meanings [8]. The term “Internet of Things” (IoT) is still defined differently depending on who you ask. It is defined as the global interconnectedness of physical items, people, and software [13] or a technical architecture which establish a connection via an IP network to obtain and share data [3].
There are even more broad definitions of IoT, which encompass any device that connects to a network and sends data to other services and devices . The Internet of Things (IoT) will change the world in ways that are hard to anticipate but have a lot of potential benefits. By making items smarter, infusing intelligence into everything can provide chances for better health, safer workplaces, and more innovative homes. Businesses can use IoT in various ways to improve their operations and services by leveraging existing and future technology advancements. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the upcoming high-tech paradigm change. It focuses on integrating and networking any objects with sensors and actuators with an IP address.
It was in the year 1999 that the history of the Internet of things began. Kevin Ashton, the director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Auto-ID Centre, is believed to have initiated IoT. After his cat wandered away from home, he decided to implant a microchip in it so that they could follow where it went. In 1999, he told Procter & Gamble (P & G) that instead of doing a physical inventory count, the corporation should employ sensors to determine inventory levels on specific items [7]. These technologies would be able to notify a business how many products it has, where those things are stored, and when it needs to buy more. There would be no need for physical inventory counts or audits due to this. Even though his presentation was not well welcomed by P&G management at the time, by 2003, his proposal had become a reality. The Internet has permitted quick information interchange and sharing since its inception [15]. Since the introduction of personal computers in the late 1970s, many new items and technologies have been developed to facilitate this communication, which has recently evolved to include mobile devices and social media.
Bayani et al [1] looked into the usage of IoT in e-learning to avail readers with an improved understanding of the numerous facets of IoT and the benefits of using it. The article demonstrated how e-learning, which typically employs audio-visual technology, has reaped the benefits of internet connectivity via smartphones and other internet-capable gadgets. The authors demonstrate how the Internet of Things can be used to serve society’s four pillars: education, health, economics, and infrastructure. They go over the advantages in terms of systems and gadgets. In terms of system interoperability, IoT improves wireless local area networks (WLANs) and cellular networks for 4G expansion. Smart cities are an example of these industries, and they represent a city in which IoT technology is used to handle everything from traffic to garbage management and streetlights. Healthcare, government services, transportation systems, residences, and companies will all be impacted by IoT technologies, properly managed through surveillance [10].
Applications of IoT
The world will become smart. Businesses have embraced IoT because it allows them to capture real-time data, cut operating costs, boost business visibility, and improve customer experience [14]. The Internet of Things comes to fruition, but it comes with certain drawbacks. To begin with, it takes a long time for this type of technology to become fully operational. To make the entire system useable to its total capacity, a completely new wireless line must be established [9]. Another difficulty that may develop is how to deal with all of the data that will be acquired as a result of interactions with smart devices in your house. Because this information will be saved on a cloud service or a phone, a completely new system will need to be developed to manage and store it all, putting the system at risk of being hacked or damaged. The Internet of
Things (IoT) have raised concerns about privacy issues. IoT is causing alarm among privacy advocates, security researchers, and policymakers. They are concerned about hackers gathering data from gadgets to spy on people or uncover flaws in their systems, exploiting those devices for monetary gain, personal advantage, political espionage, or terrorism [4]. Information security considerations and IoT device security challenges are critical aspects of IoT devices and the Internet-enabled gadgets that we use daily for our businesses, personal lives, and governments. Hackers can use malware, botnets, and other methods to exploit weaknesses in any device [12]. Attackers can use these flaws to get access to sensitive data or to compromise the entire network. Finally, while constructing smart homes and companies based on internet-controlled equipment appears to be highly easy, there doesn’t appear to be much of an upside compared to how much these technologies would affect us if they were adopted globally.
The smart city is a concept that intends to improve the urban environment within industrialized cities by utilizing ICT gadgets, physical networks, and big data analytics to increase efficiency and improve quality of life. One of the emerging trends in the Internet of Things. IoT refers to a smart environment, such as a smart home or a smart city. New technologies such as Smart Meter, ZigBee, WAP, and RFID, have been included [5]. To maintain privacy and security within the house, these are all connected via the Internet. In the world today, an individual can manage the lights and fans via the Internet when traveling outside of the nation. People’s attitudes towards things in their daily lives are slowly but steadily changing as the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart surroundings gain traction. All items, locations, and people, as well as all physical qualities that are valuable resources in this internet-enabled world, can be interconnected by utilizing embedded sensors that gather information and transfer it via the Internet [5].
An article by Chin et al [2] looks into the future of the Internet of Things and conclude that smart environments are constructed on top of it. They conclude that IoT consumers are apprehensive about the technology’s privacy implications. They make several recommendations for reducing IoT-related privacy issues, as well as emphasizing the need for a technical infrastructure in achieving a worldwide design for smart environments. It is becoming progressively easier to produce new technology as the world becomes more digital. There are numerous examples of smart city concepts that have proven to influence society. Individuals may not have heard of them, yet the world is becoming more advanced when individuals waste less time in electric automobiles, driving without a GPS in smart cities, or employing a combination of technology that is anything but virtual [6]. The future will force individuals to reconsider how they live, what they possess, and how much distance they can travel in a single trip.
Challenges of IoT
Conclusion
The Internet of Things (IoT) has exploded, with information feeds besides sensors providing us with information about the outside world. We have also witnessed a considerable increase in the number of online people, which is driving demand for a smarter, more evolved internet experience: one in which computing devices respond to our needs and present us with appropriate information at any given time. This type of engagement provides a smart environment where we can fully control and transform the devices around us into powerful personal assistants like never before [11]. The problems of creating smart, resilient communities that are prepared for tomorrow’s challenges are manifold. One of the most severe concerns facing policymakers today is determining how to pay for the costs of integrating smart city features while simultaneously ensuring that money is not wasted. IoT implementation is additionally complicated by privacy and security concerns.
References
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