Myths about the Internet of Things
As a producer of an Internet of Things (IoT) product, we discuss the concept a lot. We’ve covered the history of IoT, and where it seems to be going. Even the possibilities just within multifamily.
The bigger the scale and the smarter our technology is, the more important it is for us to grasp the future of interconnectedness. What do we hope fully realized IoT will function like? What isn’t it?
When we say “IoT”, we all have the same idea
This is the first and biggest misconception. Unfortunately, IoT has become so vague and widespread that to many it looks very different. Especially to different producers of different technology types. Depending on what type of device a company makes, their view of the core of IoT will be completely different, their emphasis on a different aspect.
If you create tech that utilizes sensors, your view of IoT emphasizes how sensors capture data. If you work with information security, your view will see the importance of standards and protocol and the limitations to shared data.
In general, however, the accepted view is that an IoT world is interconnected, relatively seamless, and all about leveraging data.
IoT is Machine-to-Machine (M2M)
M2M is the ability for different pieces of technology to communicate and share information. This is different from IoT devices. IoT goes beyond just sharing information — smart devices take the next step and leverage found data to perform better. IoT implies centralized control, and remote monitoring capabilities. Machines don’t just communicate, but they report to you, and processes become efficient.
All IoT devices will communicate
It’s tempting to think that in a future world, all technology will share information, and that’s the end result of fully realized IoT. But, that’s also not a likely reality. Technologies are created by separate vendors, and those vendors will want to protect their information. Different tech created by one vendor will communicate, but communication across vendors will likely be limited.
IoT will produce too much data
The purpose behind IoT is to gather data about all interactions, but the reporting function of smart technologies is based on the change of states. Like a washer ending its cycle. Or a person entering a building. Users are worried about receiving too many updates from smart tech, but in the case of IoT, reports should only be made upon certain changes. Rather than being overwhelmed by input, we should receive exactly what we need when we need it.
This is still a future concept
Is it? More and more IoT is coming into play, and its approaching faster than we might think. It’s time to start digging into the facts.
