What Is Internet of Things? A Simple Explanation of IoT

How are you reading this post right now? It might be on your smartphone, maybe a desktop or maybe a tablet and these devices are connected to the Internet. Internet is a wonderful thing and it has made our life easier. Just think of your old cell phone before it was smartphone. You could call and text message for sure, but now everything has changed, you can watch movies, read books or listen to any song you want all in one device in your hand.
Connecting things to the internet creates many amazing benefits. The Internet of Things is actually simple concept, it means taking all the things and connecting them to the internet.
If you search on Google “what is IoT?” you will find many of the answers are unnecessarily technical, but in this article, I will provide you with simple explanation of the Internet of Things and what it means for you. So let’s dive into the topic.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things is also called as IoT. When something is connected to the internet, it means that thing or device can send or receive information. This ability to sending and receiving information makes things smart. IoT can connect devices in various systems to the internet. Devices connected to the internet can be controlled from anywhere. The connectivity helps us capture more data from more places, ensuring ways of increasing and improving safety.

Internet Of Things is an ecosystem of connected physical objects (Gadgets) that are accessible through the internet. The thing in the “Internet of Thing” could be any person with device like a weather sensors or car with built in sensors i.e. object that have been assigned an IP address and have ability to transfer data over the Internet without manual assistance.

History of IoT?

Kevin Ashton, co-founder of the Auto-ID center at MIT, first mentioned Internet of Things in a presentation he made to Procter & Gamble in 1999. Wanting to bring Radio Frequency ID (RFID) to the attention of P&G senior management. Ashton called his presentation “Internet of Things” to incorporate new trend of 1999.

Internet of Things evolved from coverage of wireless technology, Microelectromechanical system (MEMS), microservices and the Internet. The idea of connecting devices has been around since the 1970, but Ashton was the first who mention Internet of Things.

How IoT Works?

Internet of Things system consist of Internet-enabled smart devices that use processors, sensors and communication hardware to collect, send, receive and act on data they acquire from environment. IoT devices share the sensors data they collect by connecting to an IoT gateway  or other edge device where data is either sent to the could to be analyzed. Sometimes, these devices communicate with other devices and act on the information they get from one another. These devices work without human interference, but people can interact with these devices to set them up, give them instructions or access data.

IoT Applications

There are large number of real-world applications of Internet of Things.
In consumer section, Smart Homes are equipped with smart thermostats, smart appliances and connected lighting, heating and electronic devices can be controlled by via your smartphones or via computer from anywhere.

Wearable device is one of the application of IoT. Demand of wearable devices is increasing in the market. Companies like Samsung, Google, Fitbit have invented such devices, but how do they work?

Wearable devices with software and sensors can collect and analyse users data and act according to it. These devices cover fitness, health and entertainment requirements.

Smart city is another well known application of IoT generating curiosity among world’s population. Smart surveillance, smart energy system, urban security, automated transportation and environmental monitoring all are examples of IoT application for smart cities.

There are a lots of other applications of Internet of Things, but I cant explain every application in this article, so I have explained few of them. I hope you have understood the concept of Internet of Things. If you have any queries regarding IoT, write them inyieto the comment section.