Introduction and background
IoT, which stands for the Internet of Things, is a term that is used for connecting a bunch of devices we use in the real world to the internet. Today, many electrical devices such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, TVs, etc. are connected to the internet, thus allowing us to make use of the many benefits the world wide web offers. With IoT, the idea is to connect as many objects as possible to the internet, so that we can achieve a worldwide system of interconnected objects.
When objects have internet connectivity, it means that they are capable of transferring information. In other words, data can be sent and received from one device or system to another. This communication of information makes our life much easier and more efficient, and as the world progresses, we only going to rely more on the internet and objects with internet connectivity, also known as smart devices.
The aim of IoT is to connect multiple objects we use every day in the real world to the internet so as to make our lives easier.
Challenge
The main challenge in understanding what the Internet of Things is that it is so loosely defined. The scope is so broad that it is difficult for people to understand that such a concept is a possibility in the real world. When there are so many possibilities and examples of IoT, it can be tough to really understand what the concept is about.
Moreover, most definitions of the Internet of Things that you can find online are extremely technical, which only adds to the confusion. For a concept whose basics are pretty simple, the complex definitions and broad scope make IoT more confusing than it actually is.
Solution
The Internet of Things allows objects across the globe to be connected to each other using the internet. The great thing is that these objects do not have to have huge storage or a supercomputer embedded in them. They simply need to be connected to a supercomputer or super storage, and IoT does exactly this.
So, IoT aims to extend the power of the internet beyond just computers and smartphones to a whole range of other objects and processes. In doing so, it helps businesses and people gain better insight into the 99 percent of objects and environments which are still not connected to the internet. This, in turn, encourages higher-level work that is more meaningful.
