What is Internet of Things

IBM is investing billions into it, Oracle is after it, Microsoft, Google and Intel are already in the race and hundreds of budding startups budding are exploring the realms of IoT! Internet of things is the buzzword of 2015 and probably it will be for the next few years to come. But what is it exactly?

What if you keychain can buzz you when you forget it at a bar, what if your flip flops or running shoes can tell you the number of steps you’ve taken? Imagine your door locks getting unlocked when you reach home. The possibilities are only limited by the imagination of the thinker! What is common among these things ? These are common everyday objects, objects that are otherwise ‘dumb’ inanimate things. Internet of things is about connecting up everyday objects virtually to achieve improved user convenience and/or usability.

Kevin Ashton, who is one of the early pioneers who developed RFID invented the term “the Internet of things” in 1999. He used it to describe the network of devices he was researching on. IoT isn’t all about machine to machine communication, it spans across devices, protocols and multiple application domains. Do not confuse the “internet” part in IoT with the internet we’re familiar with, it’s an internet on its own for the “Things”. But our traditional internet can be used for IoT and today’s IoT is based around this use case, our traditional internet.

Wearables and smart devices are gaining popularity among the mainstream audience. Interesting fact is that, prices are coming down exponentially. As the prices go down, more people will adopt and a whole new world of possibilities will be revealed. Automatic toll collection, intelligent traffic signal control, augmented gaming and all are the tip of the iceberg. IoT is taking over the world at a faster pace while keeping a low profile! Households, accessories, gadgets, huge machineries, ultra modern industries, you name it! IoT is present in the everyday life of us all.

IoT isn’t about consumer products or services. IoT spans across all application domains, from Healthcare to logistics, the applications are limitless.