The Internet of Things is a concept that says that billions of interconnected devices can interact with each other without human intervention, thereby increasing the quality of human life and improving development possibilities.

In order to understand this concept, the name IoT itself should be reviewed. It consists of two main parts:

Internet – which Cambridge Dictionary defines as „the large system of connected computers around the world that allows people to share information and communicate with each other[1]” and

Things – which in their work Applications of IoT and IoT: Vision 2020 the authors define as “virtual, real, mobile or steady object that continuously relays information to other objects[2]”

The Internet of Things itself can be described as a system of connected devices / things / objects that can share and communicate with each other.

So how does this concept work?

It involves connecting a large number of devices which will collect very large amounts of data and which will transmit information to each other and finally will be able to analyse it (all the data and information’s collected) and then make independent decisions based on them. It is good to illustrate this with an example.

Let us assume that cars are equipped with sensors that can detect where the fault occurs. This way, for example, if one of the parts in your car breaks down, the sensor will send information to the driver’s phone, for example, who will be able to check which workshop in the area can repair it immediately. Moreover, by having all cars monitor their components, it will be clear whether this is a permanent problem on this model which needs to be changed over time, or whether this is a very common problem in cars which have this particular part from a specific production day. This will make it possible to inform car owners, who also have a part from this specific production series, to replace the defective part in advance.

Another example is the alarm clock, which will wake you up earlier if it notices that there is, for example a traffic jam in the city streets that day and you will need more time to get to work than usual[3].

Among the possible future uses of IoT that can be felt by the general public, there may also be, for example, a flowerpot that will inform about the watering status of the plant, what substances are missing in its soil, the state of sunshine (whether the plant needs more or less of it), etc[4].

In order for the IoT to work at its best, it needs access to a high-speed network (5G) and as many devices, sensors, etc. as possible, to transmit data and information between each other’s.

The Internet of Things is becoming more and more popular, as several indicators can demonstrate. The first of these may be the analysis of Google Trends results for the search term “IoT” in the Google search engine. There is a clear trend from around 2014. This shows how quickly and how popular the Internet of Things has become in a very short time.

Graph 1. Search indicator “IoT” in Google search engine.

Source: Google Analytics

 

Among other reasons for this concept to gain more and more range is, of course, the number of devices connected to the IoT. It is very difficult to indicate the exact number of this devices. However, it is possible to base this number on estimates. It is therefore assumed that in 2018 there were around 22 billion devices connected and by 2030 there will be as many as 50 billion[5].

If so many devices are already connected to IoT, where can you see the use of this concept?

An excellent model is presented by Beencham Research, which has included a map of M2M (machine-to-machine) / IoT sectors on its website.

It is available at: http://www.beechamresearch.com/article.aspx?id=4

The map shows nine service sectors.

• Buildings;
• Energy;
• Consumer & Home;
• Healthcare & Life Science;
• Industrial;
• Transportation;
• Retail;
• Security / Public Safety;
• IT & Networks.

Each of these sectors is divided into Application Groups (for example: Industrial, Public, Stores), then they are divided into Locations (for example: Process, Data Centers, Shopping Centers) and then the Devices (for example: Digital Cameras, PBXs, POS Terminals) are listed[6].

When it comes to devices that are typical for the Internet of Things, these are all kinds of sensors and smart devices (smart mobile, smart TV, fitness tracker) that can send information to other devices. They use technologies such as NFC, ZigBee and, for example, Bluetooth[7].

An important feature of the IoT equipment is that it must be human-manageable and upgradeable.

It is also worth mentioning at this point the Narrowband IoT standard, which is LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) radio technology[8]. This technology allows the various sensors to operate for a long time using a small amount of energy, which is necessary for the M2M system to function properly and not overload the environment with horrendous power consumption. Moreover, it allows for in-build penetration and connection of tens of thousands of devices into one system.

Together with it, one of the technologies that allow for the introduction of future concepts using IoT in a more advanced way like Smart City is IPv6.

IPv6 is a protocol which, although it was developed back in the 1990s, is only now getting a lot of publicity around it. It is intended to replace IPv4. Cisco’s estimates say that 99% of devices do not have their own IP address, which slows down and hinders the process of connecting them to IoT.

Source: Designed by macrovector / Freepik

The above illustration presents a picture of the concept of connected things. The devices/sensors are connected to the network and to each other. This is very important in the concept of the Internet of Things.

This allows devices and sensors to contact each other, analyse information and react without the need for human integration. This is an essential advantage and characteristic feature of smart devices (they can make independent[9] decisions).

IoT solutions are also offered by companies that are technological giants, like:

Google – Google Cloud IoT solutions

Link: https://cloud.google.com/solutions/iot

Microsoft – Azure IoT

Link: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/iot/

Amazon – AWS IoT

Link: https://aws.amazon.com/iot/

 

There are, of course, many more IoT providers and they are not limited to the 3 mentioned above.

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[1] Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pl/dictionary/english/internet

[2] Bhat, Sagar & Bhat, Omkar & Gokhale, Pradyumna. (Jan, 2018). Applications of IoT and IoT: Vision 2020. 5. 36-40. 10.17148/IARJSET.2018.516.

[3] Dr hab. Senkus P. Dr Skrzypek A. Dr Łuczak M. Dr Malinowski A. (2014). Internet of Things: Past − Today – Future. Zeszyty Naukowe UNIWERSYTETU PRZYRODNICZO-HUMANISTYCZNEGO w SIEDLCACH Nr 103 Seria: Administracja i Zarządzanie. Retrieved from: https://repozytorium.uph.edu.pl/bitstream/handle/11331/445/Internet_of_things-przeszlosc-terazniejszosc-przyszlosc.pdf?sequence=1

[4] Golczyk P. (n.d.). Big-data & internet of things czyli spojrzenie w przyszłość marketing operations. Retrieved from: http://golczyk.com/big-data-internet-of-things-czyli-spojrzenie-w-przyszlosc-marketing-operations/

[5] Tankovska H. (Aug 27, 2020). IoT connected devices worldwide 2030. Statista. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/802690/worldwide-connected-devices-by-access-technology/

[6] Beecham Research. (n.d.). M2M World of Connected Services. The Internet of Things. Retrieved from: http://www.beechamresearch.com/article.aspx?id=4

[7] Software Testing Help. (Sep 1, 2020). 18 Most Popular IoT Devices In 2020 (Only Noteworthy IoT Products). Retrieved from: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/iot-devices/

[8] Probola J. (Jul 11, 2017). NarrowBand IoT rewolucjonizuje Internet Rzeczy. Forbot. Retrieved from: https://forbot.pl/blog/narrowband-iot-rewolucjonizuje-internet-rzeczy-id21330

[9] Of course by “independent” is meant based on algorithms.