Our planet is turning into an electronically controlled ball of energy. There is a lot of hype over Internet of Things (IoT) in today’s technology oriented world. Let’s just step back in time, say about a decade ago, when Internet of Things was as anonymous as the iPhone. And now all of a sudden it is all over the place and news.

So how was IoT coined?

It was done in 1999 by Kevin Ashton. As per him it is an Internet system which connects to the world via sensors and storage of data. How the internet and the devices connected to it have grown over the past is evident from the fact that in the year 2003 the ratio of internet connected devices to people was 500 million internet connected devices to 6.3 billion people in the world with approximately 0.08 devices per person. This rocketed quickly and by the year 2010 the ratio was 12.5 billion internet connected devices to 6.8 billion people in the world with about 1.84 devices per person.

How do you classify a device under IoT?

Not all electronic gadgets can be classified under Internet of Things. Devices like a toaster or a refrigerator cannot be a part of IoT unless they have the 7 key features which are notably: sensors, processors, internet connectivity, cost-effectiveness, energy-efficiency, quality and security.

The future plan is to make the household appliances like light bulbs, doors, and washing machines, part of IoT. These appliances do not get replaced very often when compared to our cell phones which makes them very appealing to be morphed. Giving the household appliances sensors and connectivity means providing them a brain of their own and hence the appliances will be able to perform functions automatically without external stimulus at different junctures.

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