If it helps the owner, give an adoption okay, thanks
"The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interconnected computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals, or humans that have unique identifiers and are capable of transmitting data over a network without the need for human-to-human or human-computer interaction. ".
- The "Internet of Things" on the IoT agenda.
Still not sure how IoT systems work?
I don't blame you although a quick Google search will provide a plethora of articles and posts explaining what the IoT is and its many potential benefits, but there is no clarity on how an IoT system actually works.
As Leverege's Director of Business Development, I often find myself clarifying those who are non-technical. So, as a non-technical person myself (at Brown, I was a philosophy major), here's the Internet of Things explained in simple, non-technical terms.
IoT Explained
The complete IoT system integrates four different components: sensors/devices, connectivity, data processing, and user interface. Below I will briefly describe each component and its function.
1) Sensors/Devices
First, sensors or devices collect data from their environment. This can be as simple as a temperature reading or as complex as a full video feed.
I use "sensor/device" because multiple sensors can be bundled together, or sensors can be part of a device that does more than just detect things. For example, your cell phone is a device with multiple sensors (camera, accelerometer, GPS, etc.), but your phone is more than just a sensor.
However, whether it's a standalone sensor or a complete device, in the first step, data is collected from the environment.
2) Connectivity
Next, that data is sent to the cloud (what is the cloud), but it needs a way to get there!
Sensors/devices can connect to the cloud in a number of ways including: cellular, satellite, WiFi, Bluetooth, Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), or directly to the internet via Ethernet.
Each option weighs power consumption, range, and bandwidth (here's a brief explanation). Choosing which connectivity option is best boils down to the specific IoT application, but they all accomplish the same task: transferring data to the cloud.
3) Data processing
Once the data is in the cloud, the software can do some sort of processing.
This could be very simple, such as checking that temperature readings are within acceptable limits. Or it could be very complex, such as using computer vision on video to recognize objects (such as an intruder in your home).
But what happens when the temperature gets too high or if there is an intruder in your home? That's where the user comes in.
4) User Interface
Next, the information is useful to the end user in some way. This could be through alerts (email, text, notifications, etc.) to the user. For example, text alerts when the temperature in a company's cooler is too high.
In addition, the user may have an interface that allows them to actively log into the system. For example, a user may want to check the video feed from their home via a phone application or a Web browser.
But it's not always a one-way street. Depending on the IoT app, users can also perform actions and influence the system. For example, a user can remotely adjust the temperature in a cooler through an app on their phone.
And perform some actions automatically. Instead of waiting for you to adjust the temperature, the system can do it automatically with predefined rules. And instead of just calling you to alert you of an intruder, the IoT system can also automatically notify the authorities.
Overview - How an IoT system works
An IoT system consists of sensors/devices that "talk" to the cloud through some sort of connection. Once the data is in the cloud, software processes it and may then decide to perform an action, such as sending an alert or automatically adjusting the sensor/device, without the need for a user.
But if user input is required, or if the user just needs to log in on the system, the user interface can do that. Any adjustments or actions performed by the user would then be sent through the system in the opposite direction: from the user interface to the cloud and back to the sensor/device for some kind of change.