INTERNET OF THINGS

4.9 Introduction and brief working of IOT.

What is Internet of Things?

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects or people called "things" that are embedded with software,
electronics, network, and sensors that allows these objects to collect and exchange data. The goal of IoT is to extend to
internet connectivity from standard devices like computer, mobile, tablet to relatively dumb devices like a toaster.

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is essentially an ecosystem of physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other things that
have the ability to connect, collect and exchange data over a wired and wireless network, with little or no human-to-
human or human-to-computer intervention. Allowing integration and data exchange between physical devices and the
computer, this new wave of technology focuses on making human life more simplified and comfortable with the right
mix of efficiency and productivity. To be more specific, taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies like Machine
Learning, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communication and Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT aims at extending connectivity
beyond standard Internet supported physical devices (smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops) to a wide spectrum
of non-internet-enabled physical devices and everyday objects, such as coffee makers, washing machines, door locks,
etc., so you can remotely monitor and control them with the help of a mobile or tablet device.

IoT makes virtually everything "smart," by improving aspects of our life with the power of data collection, AI algorithm, and
networks. The thing in IoT can also be a person with a diabetes monitor implant, an animal with tracking devices, etc.

AdHistory of IoT

 1970- The actual idea of connected devices was proposed

 1990- John Romkey created a toaster which could be turned on/off over the Internet
 1995- Siemens introduced the first cellular module built for M2M
 1999- The term "Internet of Things" was used by Kevin Ashton during his work at P&G which became widely
accepted
 2004 - The term was mentioned in famous publications like the Guardian, Boston Globe, and Scientific American
 2005-UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) published its first report on this topic.
 2008- The Internet of Things was born
 2011- Gartner, the market research company, include "The Internet of Things" technology in their research

How IoT works? The entire IoT process starts with the devices themselves like smartphones, smartwatches,
electronic appliances like TV, Washing Machine which helps you to communicate with the IoT platform. Since the
mechanism of IoT devices is highly technical, so for many it’s quite confusing how an IoT system actually works. Well,
just like any other system has predefined steps and components to make it work, so the Internet of Things has its own. A
complete IoT system is made up of four distinct components that work together to deliver the desired output.

Fundamental components of an IoT system:

1) Sensors/Devices: Sensors or devices are a key component that helps you to collect live data from the surrounding
environment. All this data may have various levels of complexities. It could be a simple temperature monitoring sensor, or
it may be in the form of the video feed. The collected data could be as simple as a geographical location or as complex as
health essentials of a patient. To pick up the most sensitive changes in data, one can bundle multiple sensors together to
be a part of a device that is capable of doing more than just sense things. For instance, the mobile phone is a device with
several built-in sensors such as GPS, Camera, Accelerometer, without which the phone is not able to sense things. Thus,
be it a standalone sensor or a device having multiple sensors, the first step involves the collection of all the minute
details from the surrounding environment.

Example, A mobile phone is a device which has multiple sensors like GPS, camera but your smartphone is not able to
sense these things.
2) Connectivity: All the collected data is sent to a cloud infrastructure. Once the data is collected ,The sensors should be
connected to the cloud using various mediums of communications. These communication mediums include mobile or
satellite networks, Bluetooth, WI-FI, WAN, Cellular Networks, LPWAN, Ethernet, etc come into handy. While each of
these connectivity options represents a tradeoff between power consumption, connection range, and bandwidth,
choosing the best one to transmit data to the cloud solely depends on the complexity level and specific requirements of
an IoT application.

3) Data Processing: Once that data is collected, and it gets to the cloud. infrastructure, the software performs
processing on the gathered data it is stored, analyzed, and processed securely using a Big Data Analytics Engine for
better decision making. This analysis can be as simple as checking whether or not the temperature reading on an AC or
heater is within an acceptable range, or as complex as identifying intruders in your house with the help of surveillance
cameras. The processed data is then used to perform immediate, intelligent actions that turn our ordinary physical
devices into exceptionally smart devices.However, it can sometimes also be very complex like identifying objects, using
computer vision on video,

4)User Interface: The last step involves notifying the end user about the action through an email, text, notification, or
alert sound triggered on their IoT application. The information needs to be available to the end-user in some way which
can be achieved by triggering alarms on their phones or sending them notification through email or text message. The
user sometimes might need an interface which actively checks their IoT system. For example, the user has a camera
installed in his home. He wants to access video recording and all the feeds with the help of a web server.

However, it's not always one-way communication. Depending on the IoT application and complexity of the system, the
user may also be able to perform an action which may create cascading effects.

For example, if a user detects any changes in the temperature of the refrigerator, with the help of IoT technology the user
should able to adjust the temperature with the help of their mobile phone. For instance, if the user detects some changes
in a particular room, he can remotely adjust that room temperature via an IoT app installed on his phone. Phone
Connectivity

IoT Applications
IoT solutions are widely used in numerous companies across industries. Some most common IoT applications are given
below:

Application type Description

Smart Thermostats Helps you to save resource on heating bills by knowing your
usage patterns.

Connected Cars IoT helps automobile companies handle billing, parking,

insurance, and other related stuff automatically.

Activity Trackers Helps you to capture heart rate pattern, calorie expenditure,
activity levels, and skin temperature on your wrist.

Smart Outlets Remotely turn any device on or off. It also allows you to
track a device's energy level and get custom notifications
 directly into your smartphone.

Parking Sensors IoT technology helps users to identify the real-time

availability of parking spaces on their phone.

Connect Health The concept of a connected health care system facilitates

real-time health monitoring and patient care. It helps in
improved medical decision-making based on patient data.

Smart City Smart city offers all types of use cases which include traffic
management to water distribution, waste management, etc.

Smart home Smart home encapsulates the connectivity inside your

homes. It includes smoke detectors, home appliances, light
bulbs, windows, door locks, etc.

Smart supply chain Helps you in real time tracking of goods while they are on
the road, or getting suppliers to exchange inventory
information.

Challenges of Internet of Things (IoT)

At present IoT is faced with many challenges, such as:

 Insufficient testing and updating

 Concern regarding data security and privacy
 Software complexity
 Data volumes and interpretation
 Integration with AI and automation
 Devices require a constant power supply which is difficult
 Interaction and short-range communication

Advantages of IoT

Key benefits of IoT technology are as follows:

 Technical Optimization: IoT technology helps a lot in improving technologies and making them better. Example,
with IoT, a manufacturer is able to collect data from various car sensors. The manufacturer analyzes them to
improve its design and make them more efficient.
 Improved Data Collection: Traditional data collection has its limitations and its design for passive use. IoT
facilitates immediate action on data.
 Reduced Waste: IoT offers real-time information leading to effective decision making & management of
resources. For example, if a manufacturer finds an issue in multiple car engines, he can track the manufacturing
plan of those engines and solves this issue with the manufacturing belt.
 Improved Customer Engagement: IoT allows you to improve customer experience by detecting problems and
improving the process.
Disadvantages IoT

 Security: IoT technology creates an ecosystem of connected devices. However, during this process, the system
may offer little authentication control despite sufficient security measures.
 Privacy: The use of IoT, exposes a substantial amount of personal data, in extreme detail, without the user's
active participation. This creates lots of privacy issues.
 Flexibility: There is a huge concern regarding the flexibility of an IoT system. It is mainly regarding integrating
with another system as there are many diverse systems involved in the process.
 Complexity: The design of the IoT system is also quite complicated. Moreover, it's deployment and maintenance
also not very easy.
 Compliance: IoT has its own set of rules and regulations. However, because of its complexity, the task of
compliance is quite challenging.
 Use cases

IoT Best Practices

 Design products for reliability and security

 Use strong authentication and security protocols
 Disable non-essential services
 Ensure Internet-managed, and IoT management hubs & services are secured
 Energy efficient algorithms should be designed for the system to be active longer.
 Use Cases of Internet of Things (IoT) If you look around, you’ll find an ever-growing number of devices is
getting smarter day after day and there is no industry that has remained untouched by the Internet of Things. Some
real-world applications of IoT presently in use are:

 1.Smart Home, which is also the most searched IoT associated feature on Google, is definitely the best example
of IoT use case. With a focus on providing you optimum security and convenience, smart home systems and
devices are designed to save your precious time and energy. You can control everything from lighting to
temperature of your house with just a few taps on your smartphone. Isn’t this really a cool thing?
 2. Wearables While wearables like Smart Watches and Fitness Tracking Bands have already flooded the market,
many giant companies like Samsung and Intel are now investing heavily in building IoT-powered wearable
devices. With the help of sensors and software installed, such devices can track and monitor crucial metrics like
heart rate, blood pressure, sleeping and eating habits, caloric intake, etc, and share them with a third-party app
or a healthcare service provider.
 3. Smart Cities the networked and intelligent city…. Many countries like South Korea, Japan, Spain, and the UK
are trying to colonize smart cities in order to provide their citizens with a better, safer and healthier living
environment. Collecting the data from citizens, devices, and assets, a smart city promises to solve major
problems of people living in a usual city, like water distribution, pollution, crime, traffic congestion, waste
management, etc. It stands for better quality of life and lower consumption of resources.
 4. Automotive and Transportation With the Internet of Things, automotive companies like BMW, Ford, Tesla,
and Volvo are looking forward to enhancing the in-car experience. Being equipped with technologies like
sensors, maps, computer vision, sonar, and the Internet, these cars are driverless and can run with little or no
human assistance. And, if combined with Machine Learning, the IoT also assists in various aspects of
transportation systems like logistics and fleet management, smart traffic control and smart parking.
 5. Medical and Healthcare The Medical industry is also taking advantage of IoT-powered devices for remote
health monitoring and emergency alerts. With the help of smart healthcare devices, the doctors can remotely
monitor the health of patients outside of conventional clinical environments and give medicines on the basis of
collected data. Likewise, in an emergency, doctors can keep themselves ready for the operation as they are
already

Summary

 Introduction to Internet of Things (IoT): The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects or people
called "things" that are embedded with software, electronics, network, and sensors which allows these objects to
collect and exchange data.
 The actual idea of connected devices was proposed in 1970
 Four Key components of IoT framework are 1) Sensors/Devices, 2) Connectivity, 3) Data Processing, 4) User
Interface
 Various applications of IoT are Smart Thermostats, Connected Cars, Activity Trackers, Smart Outlets, Connect
Health, etc
 Key benefits of IoT Technical Optimization, Improve Data Collection, Reduced Waste, Improved Customer
Engagement are ke
 Security, Privacy, Complexity, Compliance, are key challenges of IoT
 Use cases