Internet of Things

Connecting the physical world to a computer or mobile device via the Internet. Internet of Things (IoT) includes home appliances, door locks, doorbells, thermostats, lighting, sleep monitors, security cameras, fitness bands, as well as sensors for traffic monitoring. It is estimated there will be trillions of IoT devices in the future. See Analytics of Things.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Industrial IoT connects all machines in a manufacturing environment, the benefits being real-time monitoring and preventive maintenance. However, conversion is a major issue because many industrial sensors do not transmit via the Internet protocol (IP over Ethernet). They use modems, RS232/485 and other signaling methods. See IoBT, RS-232 and RS-485.

A Unique ID Is Required
In order to avoid conflict as more things are connected, items need unique identification. GS1 EPCglobal administers the commercial side, while R&D is done by Auto-ID Labs, which previously developed the Electronic Product Code (EPC) for RFID tags. See RFID, EPC, Internet of Thieves, Internet of Everything, LPWA, IoT gateway, IoT hub, IPv6, M2M and LTE for iOT.

Just the Beginning

This Miele washing machine was Wi-Fi enabled in 2001. If a part starts to fail, it contacts the dealer and the user. Increasingly, appliances such as this are connected via the Internet.