What is internet of things (IOT)? And how it works?

               What is internet of things?

               

Internet of Things(IoT) is the new world where everyday devices talk to one another and everything you do is monitored real time. 

It used to be the stuff of science fiction — machines communicating with each other to take care of tasks automatically. No longer. It is now becoming an integral part of everyday life.

Until recently, only computers and computing devices could connect to the Internet and “talk” to one another. That has changed, as all kinds of devices are getting connected now. Scientists and technologists have been trying to get everyday devices to talk to each other for at least a decade now.

The result: a multi-billion — and someday soon, a multi-trillion — dollar opportunity for sensor makers, device companies, software companies, cyber security firms and a host of others. 

Over the next decade, several unparalleled opportunities and threats will crop up in myriad industries as the IoT movement gathers steam. It is already creating a nightmare for privacy advocates who fear that soon everyone will be able to access your private life once IoT becomes ubiquitous. Cyber security experts fear that a single Trojan or virus can bring the interconnected world to a standstill.

But IoT advocates point out that advantages far outweigh disadvantages. One of the earliest adopters of IoT was the security industry — there are hundreds of thousands of homes equipped with video cameras today that stream images to tablets and mobile phones of owners. 

In the healthcare industry, wrist bands and other wearable devices are being made so your doctor gets an intimation when you fall sick. Auto manufacturers are building cars that can sense when other vehicles are too close, so that accidents can become a thing of the past.

The IoT movement has already seen some of the biggest companies in every field — AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Accenture, Vodafone, General Motors, Mercedes Benz and BMW, among many, many others — investing significantly on developing new products. These companies are adding wireless connectivity to their devices, bringing network connectivity and remote management to their offerings in order to appeal to a growing number of smart consumers.

India, too, is joining the IoT bandwagon. Already, Mumbai-based Eureka Forbes has connected around 150 homes across India. 

Another concept that is gaining popularity is the smart city. The Lodha group is in the process of building Palava City in Thane district, on the outskirts of Mumbai. It has tied up with IBM to offer a truly interconnected and intelligent city that integrates energy, water, transportation, public safety and smart cards with a central command centre.

But while IoT offers a huge business opportunity, consumer rights advocates and privacy watchdogs fear complete chaos. So far, only Google and a few other sites you visited while surfing the Net or posting on a social website kept track of your interests. But as personal devices increasingly get connected to the Internet, and transmit data, it will be hard for you to keep any part of your life a secret. A smart car  will log the roads you drive on and your driving style and will share the captured data with your car workshop. The toothbrush will inform your dentist each time you forget to brush before going to bed. The refrigerator will tell the grocer how much and what you are consuming. The smart television set will send out data on the programmes you watch. And the sneakers you wear will upload your walking pattern to the fitness website. Pretty soon, every bit of your life will be tracked and uploaded as you start embracing smart devices.

If privacy is the big casualty in an IoT environment, a cyber attack is a nightmare. The worst Trojan attack today can, at best, paralyse your work and home computers — and perhaps damage your mobile phone. In a connected world, such an attack can very well cripple your life — from shutting off your smart air conditioner to preventing you from entering your house or starting your car by attacking the onboard computers. That is why IoT is seen as a huge opportunity by all kinds of cyber security firms.

Whether you are one of its cheerleaders or among its detractors, IoT has become a reality — and it is not something you can press ‘rewind’ on. 

           

                   How it works?

IoT resources are often highly technical and confusing, so for many it isn’t clear how an IoT system actually works. Here’s IoT explained in simple terms.

IoT Explained

A complete IoT system integrates four distinct components: sensors/devices, connectivity, data processing, and a user interface. Below I will briefly explain each component and what it does.

1) Sensors/Devices

First, sensors or devices collect data from their environment. This could be as simple as a temperature reading or as complex as a full video feed.

I use “sensors/devices,” because multiple sensors can be bundled together or sensors can be part of a device that does more than just sense things. For example, your phone is a device that has multiple sensors (camera, accelerometer, GPS, etc), but your phone is not just a sensor.

However, whether it’s a standalone sensor or a full device, in this first step data is being collected from the environment by something.

2) Connectivity

Next, that data is sent to the cloud (what’s the cloud?), but it needs a way to get there!

The sensors/devices can be connected to the cloud through a variety of methods including: cellular, satellite, WiFi, Bluetooth, low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN), or connecting directly to the internet via ethernet.

Each option has tradeoffs between power consumption, range and bandwidth (here’s a simple explanation). Choosing which connectivity option is best comes down to the specific IoT application, but they all accomplish the same task: getting data to the cloud.

3) Data Processing

Once the data gets to the cloud, software performs some kind of processing on it.

This could be very simple, such as checking that the temperature reading is within an acceptable range. Or it could also be very complex, such as using computer vision on video to identify objects (such as intruders in your house).

But what happens when the temperature is too high or if there is an intruder in your house? That’s where the user comes in.

4) User Interface

Next, the information is made useful to the end-user in some way. This could be via an alert to the user (email, text, notification, etc). For example, a text alert when the temperature is too high in the company’s cold storage.

Also, a user might have an interface that allows them to proactively check in on the system. For example, a user might want to check the video feeds in their house via a phone app or a web browser.

However, it’s not always a one-way street. Depending on the IoT application, the user may also be able to perform an action and affect the system. For example, the user might remotely adjust the temperature in the cold storage via an app on their phone.

And some actions are performed automatically. Rather than waiting for you to adjust the temperature, the system could do it automatically via predefined rules. And rather than just call you to alert you of an intruder, the IoT system could also automatically notify relevant authorities
Source Quora