The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to objects in the physical world equipped with an IP address allowing devices to communicate wirelessly to collect and exchange data. The Internet of Things has become an integral part of our lives as we can connect with the Internet even if we’re away from home or office. However, there’s one problem: IoT security concerns! With more than 20 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, it will be difficult for any company or individual to secure their IoT-enabled devices. This blog post discusses – Brief idea on IoT – Example of IoT – Security concern and the future of the Internet of Things
Why should we care about IoT?
The Internet of Things (IoT) will transform the way the world does business. IoT devices can collect data from one another and then share this information in “real time.” Now you’ll be able to remotely set your thermostat when you’re leaving home for vacation or order an Uber car before arriving at the airport using just your smartphone! – The Internet has given us a lot of conveniences over our lives, like being able to buy things online without having to leave the house or even talk on the phone if we need customer service. The Internet of Things will take these conveniences up several notches by connecting homes and cars, so they work for their owners 24 hours per day.
IoT data helps to streamline business operations and improve efficiencies. The Internet of Things is being used to collect data on supply chains, shipping routes, and product quality to analyze their processes at a whole new level like never before.
Finally, we should also talk about IoT security has been an ongoing concern for businesses because it’s the largest Internet expansion ever that connects computers and everyday objects, which could be controlled remotely or hacked by cyber-criminals. This means the Internet of Things will affect our physical safety and basic operations in our homes, workplaces, and communities. We need to make sure we take care of these issues now, or they’ll get worse!
How are Internet of Things transforming our lives?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is where the physical and digital worlds converge. It’s a network of devices that are connected to each other wirelessly, so they can collect and share data. This means you could have your thermostat turn on at home when you’re 3 miles away from it – or if you forget your phone in the office like I often do, it might send a text message reminding me to pick up my phone before 5pm. No matter what device someone owns, if it connects to Wi-Fi or cellular network then it becomes part of IoT. Technology is changing our lives for the better!
The future looks bright with IoT innovations such as self-driving cars and smart homes coming alive every day.
Your gadgets can automatically provide you with all the information you need without lifting a finger: traffic updates, product delivery status, or flight departure times. You’ll be able to see what’s happening in your home while at work, too – just by checking on your phone!
The Internet of Things will make life safer for citizens. These devices are being used more often for crime prevention and public safety measures like burglar alarms, heart rate monitors that detect cardiac arrest, GPS tracking systems that help find lost children.
The Internet of Things has also helped people who have disabilities live more independently through assistive technologies such as electronic wheelchairs and powered prosthetics.
How does it work?
IoT devices contain smart sensor technology and computer processors that work on the data fetched by the connected sensors and Internet connectivity. Here’s a brief description of how IoT works:
An Internet of things enabled smart device is attached via its sensors and/or embedded processors.
The device collects data from one or more sources, such as other Internet of Things devices (e.g., your home appliances or autonomous vehicles) or remote servers in the cloud. Data collected can range from temperature measurements to GPS location-tracking information.
All this allows these objects to collect and exchange data among themselves without human intervention – this is what makes the Internet of things so powerful! This data then gets processed by an application running locally on that IoT-enabled device and connects it with others through their own Internet connections. And even if there’s no Internet connectivity, IoT devices can still communicate via direct short-range communication (e.g. device communications protocol).
Examples of IoT in our everyday lives
By connecting billions of devices there’re limitless examples where IoT have improved people’s daily life. The Internet of things is transforming our lives and making it easier than ever to do business.
By connecting billions of devices there’re limitless examples where IoT have improved people’s daily life. The Internet of things is transforming our lives and making it easier than ever to do business.
Home automation
IoT enabled home automation manages lights, energy consumption, and room temperature remotely. Things like smart thermostats save us a significant amount of money on our electricity bills.
it’s enough motivation for people to change their “habits” from old-fashioned technology to new hi-tech stuff. This is how IoT home automation can make your life easier.
IoT in Autonomous cars
IoT is used in Autonomous cars for several reasons. An autonomous car needs sensors to know its position and surrounding roads. Autonomous cars use Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging). This is used as an opened eye of an autonomous car that can sense distances, object sizes, and speeds. There’re also Autonomous cars that use cameras as visual sensors (in Autonomous cars). An autonomous car is like a self-driving robot that needs data from its surroundings to make decisions and translate it into actions.
Wearable devices
Wearable devices are another new trend that is made possible via IoT. The connection that is established between the users and their devices makes it possible to use IoT technology. Many new wearable devices such as watches, necklaces, etc. are becoming widely used by many people. The connectivity between wearable devices and their users may be based on either hard-wired or wireless connections.
Industrial applications of IoT
The industry has the biggest use of IoT in its daily operations. IoT can make the workflow of an industry much more efficient, and it does so in a very cost-effective manner. IoT has found its way to all kinds of industries like medical, agriculture, industrial robotics, etc. IoT helps increase efficiency and cut costs at each step in industrial processes.
Collaborative robots
The IoT is revolutionizing the field of industrial robotics. IoT applications are currently being researched and developed that can control the motion and speed of the robotic arms by adjusting them to pre-determined positions. Fetch Robotics has launched a robot called ‘Prompt’ which is using IoT for collaborative purposes, in other words, allowing robots to work with humans within close proximity.
Smart machines
In the workplace Industry, IoT is used in many more ways. IoT applications are being developed that will give a close eye on the mechanical and electrical components of the machines to keep an eye on their health conditions. IoT sensors are now also being integrated into tools, they can monitor how they are being used and send alerts if it starts to break down. IoT is revolutionizing these industries in big ways and making them safer, faster, and more efficient.
IoT Smart Agriculture
Agriculture IoT helps to build smart farms by embedding IoT rules into farming operations that are connected to sensors and devices. IoT makes agricultural processes such as crop production more efficient with meta-data stored in IoT databases. IoT sensors collect data on soil conditions and moisture levels, IoT software can relay this information to IoT tools that give out instructions on where to plant next. IoT meta-data such as weather conditions helps farmers plan their farming activities accordingly.
IoT Medical Applications
In the medical industry, IoT is used prominently for the IoT IoT-enabled IoT devices are used to monitor patients’ health. IoT applications consist of a wide array of IoT medical IoT wearables such as fitness trackers and there are other more complex IoT devices like the Mimo baby monitor which tracks, analyzes, and sends an alert when it detects something abnormal in the child’s vital signs.
Industrial IoT Applications
Industrial IoT is used to connect devices like sensors, IoT power meters, IoT bridges, IoT gateways, etc. IoT uses sensor technology that collects data in real-time and transmits it to a centralized database via an IoT gateway. This information can be used for a variety of purposes by companies to enhance their IoT IoT applications IoT and business IoT Industrial IoT applications.
IoT Smart Cities:
Smart city IoT is very useful for many reasons. City planners can use IoT to get real-time information on traffic congestion, weather conditions, or any other emergency situations. This makes it easier for them to send instructions regarding traffic control, resource allocation during a disaster, etc. IoT applications can help cities collect the data they need to take action and make informed decisions.
SMART GRID
A smart grid is an electrical system that includes different operational and energy measures, such as a network of intelligent meters to collect information about electricity consumption for real-time analysis. They also include appliances like dishwashers and dryers with timers or sensors enabling them to be turned off when not in use. Renewable resources such as solar and wind are effectively connected and controlled by smart grids. This enables the use of distributed energy resources in a controlled manner.
Security concerns and risks of IoT
IoT devices are often vulnerable because they’re not as secure as computers or smartphones. For example, security cameras can be hacked to access their video feed, and baby monitors could allow eavesdroppers to listen in on conversations.
Some risks of IoT devices include that the data collected by smart meters may reveal intimate personal information about a consumer’s electricity use; broken fitness trackers might give insight to the hackers into an individual’s workouts and activities; traffic sensors could leak driving patterns if breached. A poorly designed device with no security features exposed sensitive healthcare patient information (e.g., weight) for anyone who had Internet access within 100 feet of the “smart” scale it was installed on.
There is a lack of universal IoT security standards. No one wants to take responsibility for these security standards – it’s a hard task that requires everyone to contribute their knowledge or expertise to have an effective standard. The companies who make IoT devices and IoT applications are not inclined to share information about their products’ vulnerabilities either (especially if there was any chance they might be sued).
The user’s ignorance and lack of awareness of the IoT functionality and IoT cloud applications also pose a risk. The user may not know what is being collected, how it’s stored, and who has access to this information.
IoT security risks are also linked with other Internet dangers like malware or phishing scams that can infect devices through an unsecured network connection even industrial devices or autonomous systems can be affected.
As more objects become connected worldwide, these threats will only grow larger in scale and impact. IoT vendors need to take security seriously now before we have another major data breach on our hands!
The future of the Internet of Things:
IoT has already transformed the way we live and work, but it’s only just getting started. IoT will grow exponentially in all sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and education. It can be used to monitor safety levels at airports or ports and improve quality assurance standards for pharmaceuticals drugs – which could save lives!
IoT devices also have many social benefits, like helping people with disabilities live more independently through assistive technologies such as electronic wheelchairs and Artificial Intelligence-powered prosthetics, making life easier by providing your gadgets with information without lifting a finger: from traffic updates To product delivery status Or flight departure times.
There are still security concerns that need addressing. IoT smart objects such as wearable devices can be hacked into a surveillance camera, baby monitors used for eavesdropping, and even fitness trackers could leak private information about someone’s workout routine.
IoT security risks will only continue to grow larger as connected devices increasing every day. This will impact negatively the business model of the IoT vendors if they don’t take security seriously before another major data breach happens!
The future of the Internet of Things is looking bright with endless possibilities that offer immense benefits across every sector imaginable. We need to be vigilant and work together to make IoT devices more secure and reduce these security risks.
Conclusion:
IoT is one of the most talked-about topics in tech right now, and it’s not hard to see why. The possibilities for this technology are endless from connecting people with their homes to tracking how much electricity they use. However, when you have a device connected to your home that can be accessed remotely, there will always be some security concerns, but it is important not to let fear drive away innovation. What are your thoughts on the internet-connected technologies? Is there an IoT device you use every day or wish was in existence? Let us know what you think!
Additional Resources:
- Xia, F., Yang, L. T., Wang, L., & Vinel, A. (2012). Internet of things. International journal of communication systems, 25(9), 1101.
- Alaba, F. A., Othman, M., Hashem, I. A. T., & Alotaibi, F. (2017). Internet of Things security: A survey. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 88, 10-28.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
- https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/what-is-the-iot/