Imagine, you have to go on a road trip and you are getting late for it. Being in a hurry you forgot to switch off the extra lights of your home and enable the smart home security system. You took your phone out, opened the app and made all the necessary changes to your home devices. Do you know why you were able to do this? The Internet of Things (IoT) made everything accessible with one click no matter where we are.
The Internet of Things refers to the representation of revolution in the digital world which plays an important role in the growth of business and industrial opportunities. With the IoT, the impact on day-to-day life is huge, making everything smart and easy.
Let us explore the depths of the IoT, with its key components, IoT technology advancements, IoT benefits and challenges and how it secures the future of connected technology.
Table of Content:
UNDERSTANDING THE INTERNET OF THINGS
You see your smartwatch working smoothly with an outstanding interface that is also connected to your earbuds and your phone. This all is made possible with the use of the Internet of Things. It connects everyday things into a network through the means of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or sensors such as the ones that record your heart rate when you take a walk in the park or change the temperature of your room to make it moderate.
WHAT IS INTERNET OF THINGS?
Let us take an example from a normal day. You tell Alexa to put up a timer of 10 minutes for the cake you are baking, making your life even easier since you will not have to put up the alarm on your phone or clock. The IoT is a tool that gives your devices the ability to communicate and gather data, just to make your life a lot easier. Not only this, the Internet of Things is such cutting-edge technology that is also included in the Internet and other services you use in your daily life.
IOT REVOLUTION
The Internet of Things was derived by a British technology innovator, Kevin Ashton who proposed the idea of calling the internet-connected devices, the Internet of Things in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, the adoption of IoT came to the service in the form of technology that was able to track or identify through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers also gained popularity along with smart home appliances.
Later in the 2010s a huge amount of devices started to show up in the tech markets. The idea of the Internet of Things started to show up in many industries such as healthcare and transportation. The development of smart cities such as changes in the infrastructure came into view. The traffic management system becomes smart along with the self-operating traffic lights.
In the 2020s, the modern era of the Internet of Things emerged where the different devices seamlessly worked together with the integration of Artificial Intelligence that also improved the efficiency and authenticity of the data processing. The technology of 5G networks also arose in the modern era as it provided users with faster and much more reliable ways of communication and connection.
IOT APPLICATIONS IN DAILY LIFE
SMART HOMES
- Smart Thermostats: Adjusts the temperature according to your preference, saving energy and keeping your home comfortable.
- Smart Security System: You can easily look at who is at the door with the comfort of your home even if you are away or control the lights and cameras through the phone.
HEALTH AND FITNESS
- Wearable Devices: beneficial in tracking your heart rate, blood pressure and works as a sleep monitor as well
- Remote Patient Monitoring: These devices allow the healthcare workers to monitor their patients from a distance and assist them if needed.
TRANSPORTATION
- Connected Cars: The vehicles are now built-in with the navigation system and multiple sensors helping with the traffic updates and remote diagnostics.
IMPACT OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS ON THE INDUSTRIES
The internet of things has a huge impact on the day-to-day things going on around us such as in the medical industry or businesses and manufacturing. Not only did the Internet of Things paved the way for astonishing advancements, it also saves time and energy. Here’s how the Internet of Things shaped different industries:
IOT IN THE HEALTHCARE:
In the healthcare services Internet of Things played an important role in the development of machine learning and the use of sensors. Such an example can be seen in the wearable devices as it can easily track the user's vitals along with the steps they took per day. It helps keep the fitness and health of the customers in check without having to visit hospitals for daily visits.
Through the enhancement of diagnostics, health issues like heart attacks and cancers are controlled by a huge margin. In healthcare Industries, cancer is now treated through the chemotherapy and radiology departments also started functioning efficiently. Through the angiographic machines heart attacks and suspected aftershocks are also easily detected and treated.
The Internet of Things made the life of the patients and doctors a lot easier proving to be an efficient solution to almost all medical issues. The further advancements will be fruitful for the future generations.
IOT IN THE SMART CITIES
The internet of Things is an effective tool used to develop the infrastructure of the cities, making it much more safer and secure. A few examples include the enhancement of public safety with the help of surveillance cameras and sensors that manage traffic. If a car goes beyond the mentioned speed, it easily picks up on the information of the car. The censored crossings provide better efficiency for the pedestrians.
To ensure the efficient waste management, the smart bins are located everywhere which detects the levels of waste and enhances the process of rerouting. Waste segregation is made possible using the sensors which detect the type of waste in each bin, making the process of recycling more systematic.
With the use of the Internet of Things, the infrastructure is developed and managed a lot better than before. Through the sensors, the areas of development are explained beforehand, and the authorities efficiently alerts the people about potential issues or hazards. You can have a look at the article by Science Direct about the enhanced infrastructure management through the internet of things.
IOT IN BUSINESS AND MANUFACTURING
The Internet of Things has transformed and evolved the idea of business and manufacturing where not just the labour cost is reduced, but also increased productivity in any manufacturing work field.
The internet of things smart sensors predicts not only the real-time health but also predicts the failure of certain things being a cost-effective and an easy-to-manage way of manufacturing. The existence of automation made it highly effective in the fields of manufacturing where the IoT enabled machines that can perform tasks of extreme precision.
The Internet of Things enhances the customer experiences especially in the process of personalization that are entirely based on the customer’s data and preference. In the businesses such as internet services. The internet service providers use the internet of things to enhance their network management, resolving issues before any customer is affected by it. Service providers such as AT&T and Google Fiber upgraded their services, utilizing the internet of things to their full potential.
SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS
As the IoT grew with the time, so did the security challenges and threats came into view. The effect of weak authentication raised many issues along with the further security alerts that are addressed here.
GROWTH OF CYBER THREATS
With the free access to the IoT, the cybercriminals got a free pass becoming much more sophisticated and undetectable. With that being said, the surface of attack also expanded as the cybercriminals found their way through the loopholes. Another more outwardly growing issue is the lack of cybersecurity professionals which is making it much more challenging for the organisations for defense against the cyber threats in an effective method. Devices using the IoT are often targeted as the cybercriminals and hackers focus on the weak security measures of the IoT technology.
COMMON IOT VULNERABILITIES
In many devices that are connected to the ٰIoT, there are a few common vulnerabilities that are usually overlooked. An example of this can be seen with the devices that have a default usernames and passwords that the consumers do not change. This enables the users to become an attractive target for the cybercriminals as it becomes easier for them to compromise the network they are linked to.
CYBER-SECURITY FOR CONNECTED DEVICES
The solution for such activities is the change in the default usernames and passwords to a much stronger password. The multi-factor authentication (MFA) also proves to be one of the effective ways to protect you and your household from cybercriminals. Regular upgrading of the firmware and softwares also proves to be helpful as the latest versions of such updates have built-in layers of protections provided by the manufacturers. Stay up to date with the IoT trends to stay safe and secure from unauthorized access to your devices. Check out the Cables Finder’s blog on The Best Home Firewall Solutions: Protect Your Digital Space Like a Pro to stay protected from the internet-connected devices risks.
SECURE YOUR CONNECTED FUTURE
Given the multiple advancements and risks that the IoT holds, securing the devices and internet connected future is a must. Not only does it safeguards your personal information providing you a peace of mind, it also improves the devices performance and extends the device’s lifespan. The increased efficiency and productivity provides a seamless series of operations, shifting the focus completely on the further innovations in the tech world.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
To regularly update your device’s firmwares is an essential part to enhance the durability and efficiency of the technology as it fixes any bug or security vulnerability. To protect yourself from the harms of cyber attacks and unauthorized access to your devices, it is essential to create a strong and unique password instead of relying on the default passwords, such as of the internet router. You can find out more about how to change your router’s username and password to personalize it according to you here.
FOR THE BUSINESSES
To run your business seamlessly you must have to have a plan to secure IoT devices for a connected future security. Conducting regular security audits and reviewing the security reports helps in addressing the potential loopholes. Implementing the end-to-end encryption also protects the sensitive information of the clients and the employees. It is also essential to train the employees about Internet of Things security that should maily highlight how to recognize and respond to the cyber threats to protect the confidential information.
FUTURE-PROOFING IOT SECURITY
With all the systematic advancements in the Internet of Things, the future-proofing is a must-have in the long run. Not only does it involve the adoption of strategies and practices, it is also a necessary part to keep your system up-to-date and secure from all the cyber threats and malwares that can attack your devices.
STAY UPDATED ON THE IOT TRENDS
To ensure that your system stays updated and the devices are secure and protected, staying up to date with the internet of things trends is a crucial part. Not only can you use the Artificial Intelligence for intelligible decision-making processes but also reduce the latency in the data processing.
The enhanced privacy system of the internet of things focuses keenly on the privacy of the users emphasizing on the protection of the user’s confidential information such as usernames, passwords and passcodes.
Modifying the advanced security measures implements unique and much secured encryption to your devices and applications with the secured communication protocols and regularly updating the security patches to keep your internet connected tech products highly secured from any malicious attacks.
Internet of things trends also upgraded the connectivity as the 5G networking became a standard practice. In this day and age, every individual holds a 5G network in their phone and in their home devices as well. This provides them with faster internet connection with low latency and linking to more devices at once. Check out your favourite 5G internet plans from the Cables Finder website.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
- WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST USES OF INTERNET OF THINGS?
One of the biggest uses of the internet of things is the smart cities as the technology is widespread to manage the traffic easily and efficiently. Secondly, smart homes are a big example of the use of the internet of things where everything is on sensors and voice commands. From the door dashcam to the house control like Alexa, and the smartwatches for fitness tracking, everything you use daily is an example of IoT.
- WHAT IS THE LARGEST CONCERN OF IOT?
The largest concern of the internet of things is the security breaches that happen as unauthorized data collection can happen through the loopholes of the connections. The devices are connected wirelessly which possess the vulnerability to malicious attacks and cyber threats, however, all can be covered by following proper security SOPs.
- WHAT ARE THE EVERYDAY USES OF INTERNET OF THINGS?
Everyday uses of the internet of things includes smart home security such as door cameras and internet-connected surveillance cams. The wifi connection to the home appliances such as the oven and refrigerator are some common uses of internet of things.
- WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF IOT NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDED BY THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS?There are various internet services provided by your internet service providers such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet and cellular networking etc. Internet Service Providers such as AT&T, Google Fiber and Spectrum provide the consumers with the best internet services along with the latest IoT networking technology.