IoT- An Introduction
Internet of Things is one of the globally expanding technologies in today's generation. This technology has an ever-increasing scope with its application ranging broadly from Home and Car Automation to perfect models for gardening and farming. Be it, Siri, Alexa, Tesla's self-driving car or Cortana all find its root to this mind-blowing technology. This technology finds its place in all sectors of society ranging from Medicine and education to Research and Business. Along with its wide applications, this technology has gained its recognition for its broad compatibility. IoT is frequently understood as a collection of sensors but as we delve deeper into the subject we will expose the wide range of wonders it contains. So gear up yourselves as we explore this amazing domain.
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Kevin Ashton (Father of IoT)
The term Internet of Things was first coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton.
Defining IoT -
IoT has been defined differently by different institutions. Though all of them have the same meaning, let us have a look at different definitions of IoT.
Definition by IEEE-
IEEE defines IoT as -" A network of items - each embedded with sensors - which are connected to the internet."
Definition by ITU-T -
ITU-T defines IoT as - "A global infrastructure, enabling services by interconnecting things based on information and communication technology"
Definition by EC ( European Council) -
EC has defined IoT as - " A network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and sense or interact with their internal states or external environment"
Defining broadly- IoT is a network of interconnected sensors or things which in-turn are connected to the internet via a mainboard - like Arduino UNO, Raspberry Pi, ESP8266 etc - the data assembled from these sensors and boards are sent to clouds or databases for further applications.
Well across all these definitions we come across a common word - Thing / Object - what does this term mean?
According to CERP-IoT: Thing is a real physical or digital virtual entity that exists and moves in space and time and is capable of being identified.
Things are commonly identified by name numbers and/or IP addresses.
Types of IoT Network-
Since the beginning of this blog, we have been talking about networks of thing or devices. This question certainly would have come to your mind that what kind of networks does IoT make.
The range of network in which IoT works varies from a small room to the huge globe.
IoT networks can be divided into the following categories based on distance-
- Nano network - A network created by a set of small devices (sized a few micrometres at most) that perform very simple tasks such as sensing, computing, storing, and actuation. Such systems are applied in the biometrical, military and other nanotechnologies.
- NFC (Near-Field Communication) - A low-speed network to connect electronic devices at a distance within 4 cm from each other. Possible applications are contactless payment systems, identity documents, and keycards.
- BAN (Body Area Network) - A network to connect wearable computing devices that can be worn either fixed on the body, or near the body in different positions, or embedded inside the body (implants).
- PAN (Personal Area Network) - A network to link up devices within a radius of roughly one or a couple of rooms.
- LAN (Local Area Network) - A network covering the area of one building.
- CAN (Campus/Corporate Area Network) - A network that unites smaller local area networks within a limited geographical area (enterprise, university).
- MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) - A big network for a certain metropolitan area powered by the microwave transmission technology.
- WAN (Wide Area Network) - A network that exists over a large-scale geographical area and unites different smaller networks, including LANs and MANs.
There is a lot more to learn in this domain. Please keep reading the further updates to unveil the wonders behind this term.
