All about the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things, a booming market that will increase sixfold in the next year

The Internet of ThingsThe Internet of Things is a term you’ve probably heard about in recent months. But do you really know what he means?

The Internet of Things connects billions of objects and billions of people. It can now be considered as one of the most powerful tools to create, modify and share countless information. Indeed, the IoT aims to make devices interact with each other and with individuals. It promises to drive major transformations in the lives of individuals by democratizing new uses and services in the mobility sector. And yet, IoT experts estimate that only 1% of its potential is being exploited today. That’s why it’s being compared to the internet of the future.

By 2020, the Gartner Institute predicts more than 50 billion connected devices on the market. We might as well tell you that we are witnessing a real digital revolution that will radically change our lifestyles.

For the time being, in the consumer domain, the IoT is still very much a matter of gimmickry, but it is bringing more and more value to its users. In the B2B sector, the fields of application are multiplying and promise a dazzling growth, particularly in the management of energy in buildings, in the fields of industry, agriculture, security, transport and health.

And even if it is impossible today to imagine what the Internet of Things has in store for us , its democratization is underway!

And to better understand how it works, Synox presents what you need to know:

1. What is really the Internet of things?

At the heart of the Internet of Things is the ability of the object to interconnect and interact with its physical environment. It therefore includes:

• Devices connected directly to the Internet
• Machine to machine -M2M- i.e. communication between machines and access to the information system without human intervention whether it be Bluetooth, RFID, Wifi, 4G and soon 5G…
• “Smart connected devices” such as tablets or smartphones.

In other words, all the devices connected to each other and to the network capture, store and retransmit data (or data in IoT jargon).

2. How does the IoT work?

The Internet of Things works mainly with sensors and connected devices placed in/on physical infrastructures. These sensors will then emit data that will be sent back through a wireless network to IoT platforms. They can be analyzed and enriched to get the most out of them. These data management and data visualization platforms are the new IoT solutions that allow territories, companies or even users to analyze data and draw conclusions to adapt practices and behaviors.

As you can see, the IoT is closely linked to connected devices because they have the ability to capture data and send it via the Internet or other technologies. Connected devices interact with their environment through sensors: temperature, speed, humidity, vibration… In the Internet of Things, an object can be a vehicle, an industrial machine or a parking space.

This notion of the Internet of Things can be explained thanks to the concept of “Service oriented Architecture” broken down into four different layers called layers. We explain it to you with the help of the diagram below (because let’s face it, it’s much easier to understand using a table 😊 ) :

And let’s not forget to explain what is (We are not all experts in this field 😉 ) :

• Hardware: Refers to the physical components
• Software: Software, information systems and applications
• Middleware: Inter software, information exchange network. It connects several computer applications

3. IoT is closely linked to the network?

Yes ! The Internet of Things is composed of a heterogeneous set of networks that allow the communication of these objects. Among the best known, the cellular networks of the historical telecom operators that allow devices equipped with a M2M SIM card to upload and send data. In full emergence, you will find the LPWA networks, with notably LoRa and Sigfox. Long range low speed networks, these are protocols entirely dedicated to communications between devices. But other technologies are also used such as Narrow Band or LTE-m.

4. IoT makes devices smart with data.

Indeed, data is a real goldmine for the IoT. As long as it is captured and transformed into smart data, of course. The purpose of the analysis of raw data, temperature, vibration, humidity… is to make it usable. It is with this in mind that connected devices are :

• Instrumented: they collect and integrate data in real time
• Interconnected: They are shared through wireless networks with other information systems
• Intelligent: They are analyzed and enriched to help users, companies and institutions in their decision making.

5. The IoT is now considered a real service.

We talk about “IoT as a service” because it transforms our uses and modifies considerably the access to our services.

In the industrial sector, for example, it is now possible to monitor machines remotely, perform predictive maintenance on equipment, or improve product traceability. Every day, connected devices will generate billions of information that will allow companies to create new services.

The Internet of Things will literally transform our society. This statement may seem utopian to you, but you just have to see how much things have evolved since the arrival of Smartphone or real time.

It’s up to us to take advantage of the potential of the Internet of Things and capitalize on this technology that promises great things!