Basics of Internet of Things

Basic Understanding
First look at the concept of Internet as Internet of people, through which everyone is connected and
able to communicate and collaborate. This is achieved through few devices i.e are PC,Laptops,
Smartphones etc. If you can take this concept to every other thing i.e to watch, cars, homes, cameras,
bulbs, thermostat etc, you come to the concept of Internet of Things where everything and not just
everyone is connected. Though Internet of Things is gaining lot of traction but there are no standards
defined like the Telecom and hence its more in evolutionary stage itself.
The broad idea behind it is that a whole constellation of inanimate objects is being designed with builtin wireless connectivity, so that they can be monitored, controlled and linked over the Internet via a
mobile app. IOT for beginners
McKinsey estimates the IoT could unleash as much as $2.3
trillion in new economic value worldwide by the year 2025
Examples
Smart Bulbs
Lifx Smart bulbs, Philips Hues etc
Millions of Colors in a ingle bulb
Control the color and ambience by a mobile app
GlowCaps
A button at the base of the GlowCap lid sends refill requests to
your local pharmacy which sets up an automatic callback to confirm
your refill. Then, simply head to your pharmacy to pick up your
medications.
GlowCap features an accompanying reminder light that plugs easily
into any outlet around the home. The device works in tandem with
the lid by glowing orange at the time of your scheduled medication,
and sends immediate updates to you or your caregiver.

Smart Watch
Modern smartwatches are effectively wearable computers. Many
smartwatches run mobile apps, while a smaller number of models
run a mobile operating system and function as portable media
players, offering playback of FM radio, audio, and video files to the
user via a Bluetooth headset. Some smartwatches models, also
called 'watch phones', feature full mobile phone capability, and can
make or answer phone calls.

How can a product be defined SMART or how do you define SMART capabilities
Smart Products can be defined through following capabilities
Monitor- The product should monitor its own conditions and external environment around it
Control The product can be remotely controlled through cloud or any other network
technology
Optimization Based on monitoring and control capabilities the product working and operation
can be optimized
Autonomy Combining above features the product can autonomously take some of its
decisions

Technology Stack behind Smart devices

Why Now?
The time is ripe for an IoT explosion. The number of connected things in the world has skyrocketed
from about a million in the early 1990s to 13 billion today. As the Internet of Everything (IoE) gains
momentumdigitizing business processes in every industrywe expect to see 50 billion connected
devices by 2020
The Cost of Sensors Has Dropped over 60%
o They are now being deployed everywhere, in our houses, cars, and factories, intelligent
devices that capture data about how we live and what we do. Once they are networked
they can be programmed to talk to one another.
Bandwidth and Processing Power Continue to Increase, While the Costs Have Tumbled by over
75%.
o Wi-Fi coverage is now ubiquitous, wireless connectivity is available for free, or a very
low cost. Already, scores of products have emerged to take advantage of Bluetooth
Smart, one low-energy radio protocol that hit the market in October 2011. Another
rising technology is NFC, short for near-field communication;
Rising number of Smartphones
o Of the nearly 900 million new smartphones shipped last year, most can communicate
with nearby sensors via multiple wireless languages. Getting back to the cause and
effect, the staggering scale of the smartphone market has spurred sensor manufacturers
to miniaturize and innovate, driving the cost of all the wireless chipsets (both sensors
and receivers) down to a pittance.

 Location management, from GPS to Presence Management.

o With GPS we can reliably know our location within 75 feet, give or take, and that
knowledge has transformed our lives immeasurably: step by step driving directions,
local restaurant recommendations, nearest Starbucks, and so on. But with presence
technology, we have the potential to know our location absolutely, down to a foot or
even a few inches.
Sources
Micheal Porter, How Smart and Connected Devices are transforming the world
https://datafloq.com/read/why-now-the-internet-of-things/1070
http://www.zdnet.com/article/ten-examples-of-iot-and-big-data-working-well-together/
http://arstechnica.com/unite/2015/10/the-future-is-the-internet-of-things-deal-with-it/
http://recode.net/2015/01/15/a-beginners-guide-to-understanding-the-internet-of-things/