IoT or in full, Internet of Things, refers to any electronic gadget that is connected remotely to the internet using WIFI, Fibre or Cellular connection. Barely does a day go past before I see a YouTube video from big electronic brands pushing their IoT white consumer good. This is because of IoT technology coming of age and becoming standardised which has made it easy for it to be integrated into every aspect of our modern world.
Over the coming years, we expect Internet of Things to continues to gain popularity. This will allow in-market buyers access product cheaply as original equipment manufacturing companies are seeing lower pricing on sensors that go into their products like the ones we use as gps locators, lighting, entry systems and even home appliances.
Let’s go straight into discussing the above topic and answer some questions at the same time.
What is IoT?
There are a few definitions for IoT but simply put; IoT is about networks, devices, and data.
To define it deeply for the layman, the internet of things is made up of devices like sensors, wearable, and smartphones that are connected and automated to create an action that will someone with a specific task e.g., keep fit, switch off the lights, play music or turn on machines like coffee machines of dishwashers. By the time the pandemic hit last year, the world was looking at doubling internet connection to nearly 30 billion and this was mainly because of using smart devices.
What electronic components are used for smart gadgets?
Smart cars and wearable like Fitbits & iWatch both for humans and pets are projected to be the fastest-growing IoT application. The biggest winners in this big data age have been homes and transport industry. Over the past half a decade, we have seen autonomous cars being tested by big companies like Olli which is aided by IBM’s Watson IoT that helps decipher structured data you would do yourself like check the weather, check street food outlets e.g., cheese delivery Sydney, shopping mall around Australia Sydney harbour etc.
For these gadgets to deliver the sophistication we are looking from living lifestyles to entertainment to exercise and to work we need manufacturers to move at the same clock speed as the consumers preference changes.
Perception of what is possible has come along faster and thanks to technology companies especially in the sensor and circuit boards industry. We know that integrated circuits are the primary components, MCUs like STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller and system-on-chip (SoC) processors are at the forefront of this change.
Microelectromechanical system also known as MEMS sensors play an important role IoT development, with pretty much everything in our homes relying on them i.e., surround systems, intercoms, gps locators, security & motion, temperature, and light. Etc.
At oemsecrets.com, you will find other generic devices development kits and parts for brands like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino, that have prototype kits which let you build your own IoT end points and are loved by hobbyists and engineering professional alike.
Where does IoT go next?
The big tech gurus state that we haven’t scratched the surface on IoT capabilities. Having a few IoT products in my house, I would say that IoT is still in its infancy stage mainly because I tend to see that majority of the products I buy don’t interconnect easily and security is one big dark cloud with the threats of cyber security.
The future of IoT is bright, however standardisation is a great barrier that needs to be addressed to ensure that all future products are compatible with one another. This is where the IEEE and IEESA need to work together to publish a list of standards for various application and by doing so it will let more devices and application be connected faster.
Article written, researched and published by electronicscomponents.co.uk team
