Internet of Things: Why Is It Needed Now?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is described as a network of physical objects or “things” that are inserted with sensors and software, so that they connect and exchange data with other devices and systems via internet. These devices could be an ordinary household item like a smart bulb to sophisticated industrial equipment. With more than 10 billion connected IoT devices, experts are expecting this number to grow to 22 billion by 2025. Now imagine this, workers in a factory that are continually talking simultaneously could result in chaos. But with IoT, devices can constantly report their status to a receiving computer that uses information to optimize decision making.

Why Is IoT Important?

Since the past decade, IoT has become one of the most important technologies of this century. IoT has made it possible to connect everyday objects—kitchen appliances, cars, thermostats, baby monitors—to the internet via embedded devices, which has led to seamless communication between people, processes, and things. With easy access to low-cost computing, the cloud, big data, analytics, and mobile technologies, physical things can send and receive data with minimal human interference. In a world which is so hyper-connected, digital systems can record, monitor, and adjust each interaction between connected things.

What Made IoT Take This Long?

While the idea of IoT has been in existence for a long time, there are two things that have stopped this technology to spread like wildfire and reach its full potential.

Cost

The major issue with wifi modules was that they were designed into products for a higher cost. And to bring down that cost, the designers had to work at the chip level. And working at that level required both money and man hours. However, access to low-cost, low-power sensor technology has meant that IoT is now available to more manufacturers.

Powering wireless tech

With costing being taken care of, the issue of power is another barrier for IoT. The focus is on Bluetooth Smart wireless technology as earlier a lot of designs could not go wireless because the battery life could not be extended. That could not be solved though, but what has happened is that the power usage has been reduced drastically by improved silicon design. Nowadays, a 225mAh coin-cell battery in a product sending 20 bytes of data per second could last 4 years and 5 months in comparison to just 2 years with previous generations of Bluetooth Smart technology.

What Has Made IoT a Hit?

• Connectivity – A ton of network protocols for the internet has made it easy to connect sensors to the cloud and to other “things” which leads to efficient data transfer.
• Cloud computing platforms – With so many cloud platforms available both businesses and consumers have access to the infrastructure they need to scale up without actually having to manage it all.
• Machine learning and analytics – Machine learning and analytics have advanced in recent times and that has given access to varied and vast amounts of data stored in the cloud. This can help the businesses to gather insights faster and more easily.
• Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) – Neural networks have advanced in the recent years, and they have brought natural-language processing (NLP) to IoT devices (like Alexa, Cortana, or Siri) and made them engage, reasonable, and feasible for home use.

Recommended: IOT SolutionsWhat Is Industrial IoT?

Industrial IoT (IIoT) refers to the usage of IoT technology in industrial settings, especially with respect to instrumentation and control of sensors and devices that engage cloud technologies. Bar Code India (BCI) is an expert in delivering IoT-powered solutions to customers; helping them build more intelligent, process-driven, and efficient spaces for business to thrive in. You can use the digitally advanced strategies of BCI to deliver consolidated data on your 4M's (man, machine, material, and method) right from the edge to your business. It will give you seamless machine integration, data collection & filtering, and the ability to handle vast volumes of transactions even in poor network conditions. BCI also has recently launched a new venture, Inteliiot, an Iot platform with a vision of enabling leaner and more responsible supply chains. Read more about it at https://www.inteliiot.com/ Several industries have used machine-to-machine communication (M2M) to achieve wireless automation and control. However, cloud and allied technologies have given a new wing to the IoT as it can help in achieving a new automation layer and with it create new revenue and business models. Here are a few common usages of Industrial IoT:

• Smart manufacturing
• Connected assets and preventive and predictive maintenance
• Smart power grids
• Smart cities
• Connected logistics
• Smart digital supply chains

Benefits Of Industrial Use of IoT

As IoT becomes more widespread in the near future, industries across categories are looking to gain tremendous business value it can offer. These benefits include:

• Deriving data-driven insights from IoT to help better manage the business/team
• Increasing productivity and efficiency of business verticals
• Forming new business models and sources of revenue
• Connecting the physical business world to the digital world with seamless ease which can drive quick time to value

We are sure that you’ll agree that the future of both home and business is IoT, which is going to improve both performance and information sharing. So, jump on the wagon and give your business more opportunities. Know more at https://www.barcodeindia.com/technology/iot