The Internet of Things ~ The Benefits & How Does it Effect Me?
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)? What are the benefits of IoT? How does the IoT effect me? First, we need to define exactly what the IoT is and what it isn’t. As well as, how does it effect me and my family? Is it already a part of my life and I don’t know it? What a fabulous discussion topic!!!
Over the last forty or fifty years we have witnessed many different interpretations of the future on various television shows. Ranging from Rosie the Robot Maid on the Jetson’s to the artificial intelligence (AI) computer running the house on Eureka. Disney’s Smart House even showed mini-computers running everything in the home. It makes people wonder what it takes to make something like that work in the real world.
What is the Internet of Things?!
Although IoT really does mean the “Internet of Things” (it’s right there in the name), maybe a better definition identifies all of the “things.” The “things” are those items that connect with other items. Your smartwatch connects with your smartphone. Your smartphone connects with your car, your home security system, your thermostat, your garage door opener, your sprinkler system, and even your refrigerator.
More importantly, you need to understand just how long the IoT has been around. If you surf the internet, you can find articles dating back 5 years or more. Although there are considerable details we could provide you, let’s keep this simple for now.
Consider the IoT as a way for anything connected to the internet communicates with other things connected to the internet. However, the IoT does not replace the WiFi we humans use to connect to the internet (at least not yet). On a daily basis, more and more devices are made with sensors in them so they can communicate with each other. Smart TVs, Smart Beds, Smart Bikes, and so much more. As technology changes, these devices are becoming cheaper and cheaper. Also, as technology changes, these devices are outdated almost as fast as they are sold off the shelves.
IoT ~ The Next Big Thing
The IoT sounds like a great movie title. But, it is so much more than what you see on the big screen. The IoT is changing the way we live our lives. Our homes, our pets, our possessions, and of course we humans, are quickly benefiting, as well as changing, with this new technology. Imagine all of these different devices talking to each other with the same language. They are specifically designed to function this way. When we add them to our lives we are expanding the way they communicate with each other.
Our homes benefit with better temperature control and robot vacuum cleaners. We benefit from fitness trackers and beds that adjust to our sleep positions throughout the night as needed; giving us a better nights sleep. When our pets are lost we are able to find them much quicker with the aid of their collars. That Saturday morning lawn watering is controlled more efficiently. Plus, you can monitor all of this from your smartphone while running all of those other must-do errands.
What Things Talk to Each Other?!
It all seems a bit unreal. Almost like a scene out of the Sci-Fi Channel’s Eureka where Sheriff Carter is talking with the AI, Sarah, that runs his house. Sarah runs the kitchen appliances, the thermostat, the water hearter, and so much more. Basically, Sarah runs the entire house by talking to everything including the humans.
Actually, this isn’t too far off from what we are capable of doing today. We have Smartphones, Smartwatches, Smart-televisions, Smart-refrigerators, tablets, computers and so much more. And, all of these things can communicate with each other making our lives simpler and easier. We now have cameras we can control with our phones, doorbells that are cameras that we can watch on our phones and vacuums that we can operate with a touch of a remote button and program to run when we aren’t home. Our phones and watches communicate with each other to track our sleep and activity patterns. Even better, they can tell us when something is not right. While out on your morning run, your smartwatch is able to alert you to an abnormal heart rate possibly preventing a heart attack.
How are the Benefits of the IoT Impacting My Home?!
Technology is constantly impacting our lives in numerous ways; more than just the latest video game or gaming system. Along with these amazing benefits, there is an increasing urgency to understand the benefits we gain. We are so much more productive in accomplishing the “honey-do” list with IoT. The sprinklers automatically turn on, the pool cleaner starts all by itself. Now all we need to do is create a devices that will automatically rake the leaves, weed the flower beds and clean up the dog poop.
However, we do need to be concerned about all of the IoT items influencing our homes. With all these things using our WiFI, we need to figure out how to boost WiFi services in some way. More importantly, we need to understand that this does not replace our existing WiFI. But, by expanding the existing network with hotspots will help us connect more “things” together. Just think, businesses will no longer rely solely on people-to- people contact; but, contacts between people and things as well as contact between things.
The Benefits of the IoT Going Global
The entire world is receiving the benefits of the IoT expansion as we are developing “smart cities” around the world. Smart Cities inspire waste reduction and support energy efficiency. You can help by investing and believing in the future right now. You may not believe that getting rid of that trusty flip-phone will provide any benefits for your or the rest of the world for that matter; but, you may be surprised. From now on, make sure your “things” that are already smart-connected or upgraded to communicate other smart things.
