The Internet of Things (IoT) is the mechanism, spatial cyber expansion or basically a network of objects or "things" installed with software and sensors compounded with inter network connectivity which allows these objects to collect and exchange data, among each other. The point is to connect every possible object to the other, using internet connectivity and attaching RFID to them. Hitherto the wireless connectivity has been subject of machines only i.e. only machine to machine (M2M) environment has been pro in the sector of data sharing, but now with the concept and advent of IoT, this connectivity is expected to be achieved with normal things as well, let alone machines.
The “things” in the Internet of Things could be anything from your washing machine to coffee maker, from shoes to eye glasses, so that when a perfect synchronization is achieved within these objects, life would become more digitalized and subtle. With sensors, actuators, internet and intelligence managing, monitoring, boosting, maintaining things will see a 360 degree makeover. A glimpse of what it can be like
- Body + IoT - Health monitoring – babies, elderly, exercise regime, health management – medicine dosage and timings etc.
- Home + IoT - Grocery stock updates from refrigerator, tracking lost keys, switching on/off devices like geyser, heater, oven, watering the plants in your absence etc.
- City + IoT - Pollution warning, empty parking slots for parking, street light management, Waste management etc.
- Industry+ IoT - Repair management of equipment’s, agricultural monitoring, safety management etc.
- Environment + IoT - Advance warnings of catastrophe and necessary action initiation, pollution level monitoring etc.
Discussed below are some pros and cons of Internet of Things
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Cons |
- Communication. Due to inter-connection of things, communication becomes easier
- Automation and Control- Automated data transfer and control of things ensures smooth flow of things in various sectors of life
- Information exchange of data helps being updated.
- Because of IoT, lot of time is saved. And today’s pace driven world requires nothing but anything that saves everybody’s time.
- Saves energy and money as well.
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- Complex in setting up. Say IoT being established in a home is a complex set up as inter-connecting all objects within a house is complex and tedious.
- Breach of security at times- Sometimes, IoT because of transfer of so much data, happens to exchange private data as well.
- Safety- If there is a good hacker, he may hack into their objects and disturb your privacy.
- Technology takes over humanity- All people gets engrossed into mechanical world without any tangible physical work due to IoT.
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In News
- In an era of smart phones and devices, technical giants are now heading towards making every object around you- smart! Recently, Accenture and Visa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop an in-car or inter connected car system where all cars are connected with each other. This is a giant leap forward in Ireland’s market in the sector of IoT.
- Mongoose, a Cesanta product, is a cross platform web server that was recently launched in March 2015. Cesanta is an Irish Dublin based company which is a techie giant that is working profoundly in the sector of Internet of Things, making things around the world connect to each other easier.
- The US based international computer company, Teradata, very recently launched two software services — Teradata Listener and Teradata Aster Analytics on Hadoop —that aims to help their buyers operationalise the data on Internet of Things (IoT). Both are self-service applications.
- The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) recently asked the users of Internet of things to follow the message- STOP, THINK, CONNECT. This is NCSA’s appeal to people that one must not dwell into IoT impromptu as due to data transfer, security could be breached and one’s private life may be in danger.
