What Is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things is a network of connected physical items that can gather, transmit, process and respond to data gathered from their environments, often with little human interaction. The global IoT ecosystem includes billions of small devices and tiny sensors wirelessly communicating with each other and central data processors. Some of these Internet of Things devices are obvious and prominent, while others stay hidden because they’re embedded in other objects.

IoT applications work to make regular systems smart, from home security and appliances to large-scale projects. Entire industries, such as transportation, connected agriculture, energy grids and city utilities, are smart as a result. Some of the most important Internet of Things examples and applications rely on devices you probably use every day.

Home automation, or smart home technology, describes an extensive ecosystem of devices that automate simple tasks within your home. Many of the most popular Internet of Things devices launched in the last decade are smart home products, including lights, security cameras, alarms, thermostats and electrical outlets. Compared to unoptimized versions of these devices that require manual operation, these items can run on preset schedules and can be operated remotely. to simplify users' lives. 

The first generation of Internet of Things examples relies on central hubs to manage their functions. The hubs sit between the smart home devices and home Wi-Fi networks. Newer IoT home automation devices can connect directly to the internet, with the hub functionality replaced by software solutions. Digital voice assistants also power more recent categories of IoT devices, such as smart TVs, speakers and displays. 

Digital voice assistants and some smart speakers and displays are capable of increasingly sophisticated interactions. Digital voice assistants answer users’ queries, search the internet for information, set up alarms, save reminders, provide weather reports and start home automation routines.

Most Internet of Things devices for home automation rely on sensors that detect motion, proximity, daylight, vibration and sound. Some smart home sensors can detect changes in ambient humidity, temperature, light and air quality. There are also IoT sensors with specific purposes for smart homes, such as smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. A smart home system uses information gathered from the sensors to issue commands to connected devices or alert you of detected changes.

Wearables are portable IoT devices you can wear to track body functions. Most wearables are health and fitness tracking devices capable of monitoring key metrics, like heart rate, steps taken, calories, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels.

The IoT wearables can help you achieve your fitness goals and monitor progress along the way. By measuring physical activities and tracking the duration and intensity of different exercise workouts, the devices keep an eye on wellness improvement and adjust health and exercise regimens accordingly. Most wearables can also provide detailed information about your sleep health, such as the duration of different stages of sleep.

In addition to encouraging fitness, wearables can help the elderly and those living with physical challenges live more independently. Using the integrated tools can help reduce emergency room and hospital visits and lead to prompt timely interventions.

Most smartwatches have some fitness tracking capabilities, and some fitness trackers have some smartwatch capabilities. However, differences between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch include the latter having additional features such as notifications, apps, media management and GPS. Additionally, most smartwatches need a connection to a smartphone, while a fitness tracker does not.

Modern cars rely on sensors monitoring aspects of their performance with central computers processing the data. Connected cars take computer autonomy to the next level. The ability to receive over-the-air updates is an excellent demonstration of the Internet of Things. Live updates improve a car’s efficiency by adding new features and tweaking the factory installed ones.

Most cars are compatible with remote start and security systems, and connected cars with aftermarket IoT devices offer more smart features. Some track the location and speed of cars, gather data about fuel consumption and alert users of maintenance schedules. Fleet operators and car rental services commonly rely on car trackers and other IoT devices to manage their automobiles remotely.

In addition to reading barcodes to identify products and find their prices, smart barcode readers are useful for implementing better inventory and supply chain management. Retail outlets and enterprise users rely increasingly on barcode reader apps installed on smartphones and tablets issued to employees.

As IoT examples, these apps use phone and tablet cameras to scan and pull information from barcode labels. They then log the gathered data into inventory management and sales software on the same devices or send them to enterprise servers.