Things You Need to Know About the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system with connected physical devices that communicate via the internet.  IoT devices have different types from wearable devices to industrial sensors.

Internet of Things is a system with devices connected to the internet. These devices are mini-computer processors that use machine learning to act based on the data collected by the sensors. IoT devices cover a wide area from smart warehouse devices to fitness monitors and cold air warehouse temperature monitors.

A complete IoT system is linked by 4 components:

  • Sensors/devices
  • Data Collection and Connection
  • Data Processing and/or Machine Learning
  • User Interface

Why Is the Internet of Things Important?

Internet of Things is a giant network consisting of connected devices and this network is growing every minute. Today, there are more than 50 billion distributed IoT devices. This giant network of devices generate data and communicate with other connected devices or systems. The communication of data is the key to the value of the Internet of Things technology and enables consumers or businesses to access raw data, gain insights about the data and make informed decisions based on the data. 

Internet of Things technology comes with various advantages and this technology is increasingly implemented for potential applications for businesses. Although the majority of IoT devices such as smart TVs, vehicles, wearable exercise monitors and even refrigerators are consumer-based, businesses benefit from the advantages of CCTV, smart building infrastructure, connected electric counters and industrial control systems via GPS.  The processors come with more affordable prices than before. Additionally, due to the extensive wireless network, it is possible to connect almost everything, make it “smart” and create a new intersection between the digital and physical world with data-generating sensors.

Internet of Things and Industrial Automation

Companies use the Internet of Things to increase the security of all automatized things. This is especially true for the manufacturing industry. Smart factories are a good example. Modern automation in multiple manufacturing fields is based on robots building certain things. This means slower operations or halts for traditional maintenance, production audits, repair or changes. Manufacturers obtain advantages in the IoT field. Now, companies can get real-time data from machinery assembling the parts in the factories.

Data scientists can design algorithms to analyze the data and these algorithms can help to predict the possible machinery failure. The predictive analytic based on the data created by the devices make the maintenance proactive and minimizes the break and halt durations. Monotonous tasks are automatized and completed by machines and this enables the employees to focus on other important business processes. While industrial automation helps companies with capabilities to increase manufacturing levels and efficiency, understanding and predicting the health of an object requires stable data access. 

Internet of Things and Data Collection

The amount of data around the world has never been larger than today. The manufacturing speed is ever-increasing and indicates a world richer in terms of data. However, if we cannot access, retrieve, analyze and improve how the data is used, what benefits can this data provide to us? The fundamental importance of the Internet of Things is that devices generate unprecedented data volumes. 

Data richness gives individuals and businesses the potential to make better and more informed decisions. But one disadvantage about the Internet of Things is how to analyze and interpret the data generated by the devices. 

Results

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new paradigm that transforms the traditional lifestyle into a high-tech lifestyle. Smart cities, smart homes, pollution control, energy-saving, smart transportation, smart industries are the important transformation that emerged thanks to the internet of things. There are significant research studies and analyses to develop technology with the Internet of Things. 

There are certain challenges and problems to handle for the Internet of Things technology to reach its full potential. For example, even though the IoT technologies directly offered to the users are stable, using the Internet of Things for factories and businesses is an extremely complex process. These challenges, subjects, applications, problems, activating technologies, social and environmental impacts should be considered in terms of the Internet of Things. Thus, the internet of things will be one of the most important technologies of this century.

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