IoT (Internet of Things):
The Internet we have seen so far is the Internet of computers or smartphones. This is because of the basic definition of the Internet. It is defined as the network of networks. Now, by its definition it is clear that the Internet can connect to those devices and machines only that have the basic network compatibility.
The future of Internet is considered to be of such a type that even those devices and machines that do not have the basic network compatibility, could also be able to connect to the internet.
IoT is the revolutionary concept of futuristic Internet technology that will enable us to operate even our regular home appliances over the Internet.
IoT will not be limited only for our home apliances but it will enable us to build smarter devices and components that can sense real world data and process it for further reference. For example, smart components can be built for sensing the level of minerals in the soil. Smart devices can be built for sensing the helth parameters in our body. These devices and components will not only sense data, but will also be able to notify us on our smartphones using the Internet.
How IoT works?
IoT is a complete ecosystem of many components and technologies brought together. In a simple IoT ecosystem, at one end there is some kind of sensor that senses some real world data like- temperature etc. The gathered data is sent to a wireless router. The router then sends that data to a server that is somewhere in the WWW. Server, if required, can process the data and send back to the smartphone of the user in the form of a notification, either in a dedicated app or through SMS service.
Similarly a sensor that senses the working of a washing machine, can send the data to a home WiFi router. Router will send the data to the server configured by the washing machine manufacturer company. Server will then send a notification to the user's phone that the clothes have been washed. Now the power of IoT lies in the fact that the user need not to be there in the house to turn the washing machine off. It can be turned off just by using an app running on the use'r phone.
Advantages of IoT:
IoT is getting evolved slowly in our lives and that is purely because of its numerous advantages. Following are the major ones:
- It can enable us to operate and control almost every device and machine over the Internet.
- It can eliminate lots of dependancies on manual labour thereby decreasing human errors and increasing accuracy of the gathered information.
- Since its users would be able to control and operate their devices from anywhere in the world (Over the Internet), it can bring transparency to a lot of things.
- It will bring drastic change to our decision making processes.
Disdvantages of IoT:
Despite of many advantages, IoT brings many disadvantages as well. Following are the major demerits:
- Since it can enable us to control our regular equipmemts over the Internet, the secracy of user's data will be hugely on threat.
- If I use an IoT enabled AC, a potential hacker can get to know, on what temperature do I sleep at night. Without an end to end encryption, it will be a big threat to the user's private data.
- In many sectors, IoT can bring unemployment on a large scale.