The term, The Internet of Things (IoT), has become an increasingly interesting topic for discussion in many fora. Many a person are interested in knowing the essence of the term and how it can be applied in solving some of their basic problems. But, do we need IoT? If we feel that we don’t need it, can we ever avoid it? Let us try to understand this term first, since some people are yet to fully appreciate its meaning.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term used to describe a network where different items are connected together through the use of internet technology such that the connected items can communicate to each other and carry out expected operations, without the assistance of humans.
Let us use the example of a smart door (gate) to explain this. Normally doors are locked with keys. When the person with key reached the door, he will use the right key to unlock the lock, open the door and have access to enter the house. This is the normal way of having access to a house. 
But the use IoT will change this arrangement, such that the key will be in the form of a wearing item such as smart watch or bracelet. If the person with this device approached the door, it will open by itself, without his pressing any button or touching any device. The smart watch has its own identifier in the form of IP, which is unique to this item. The smart watch will have the capacity to send information to a processor that the right person is within range. The remote sensor will measure the distance of the person wearing the smart watch to the door and will be sending information to the processor. Once the person is exactly in front of the door, the processor will send signal to the locking mechanism of the door to unlock; and once the door is unlocked, another signal will be sent for the electromechanical system of the door to move the door to the open position. As the person is passing and entering the house, the remote sensor is still sending information about his exact distance to the door, such that when he is at a safe distance the processor will then send signals to the electromechanical mechanism to move the door to a close position. When the door is closed, a signal to and from the processor will cause the locking mechanism to lock the door. All these operations can take place without any human interference or assistance. With this technology, one may not bother himself with the use of ordinary key or stressing himself to open and close the door of the house.
With this basic information, let use discuss about the key elements that are necessary for this IoT to operate:
Sensing devices: There are different types of devices that can be used as sensors, which gather information or signals from the environment. These devices, such as cameras, remote sensors, light sensors, temperature sensors, GPS sensors, proximity sensors, etc. can be equipped with chips that will give each item a unique number called IP (Internet Protocol), which will be used for identification. If GPS sensor has an IP such as 123:456:789, the camera may have an IP such as 123:456:790, and so on. Each of this item should be able to send information in the form of data to another device, with its IP as the address of the sender, and should also be able to receive information and act on it accordingly.
Data Connectivity: For the information from each item to be useful, it must be transmitted to the other devices connected together so that they can work in tandem. Connection through internet or other wireless networks such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, mobile network, etc. is a must, so that effective communication can take place between these items connected. Without the communication, or exchange of data among these items, IoT will not exist.
Data Processing: The information, signal or data from each item will be sent to the central processor for processing and analysis. The processor of the data can be local server or a cloud computing network, which will use a well-structured program to process the data and generate subsequent commands in the form of data to the connected items; and this can cause some certain actions to be carried out. The operational program in the processor is the brain of the IoT, since it will determine the actualization of the desired action that is needed. Each command from the processor will be addressed to each item through its IP, the same way that SMS will located the phone with a SIM card identified by a particular mobile number.
User Interface: The users of IoT items should be able to visualize how the items are working and adjust some parameters to suite the need at each time. The user interfaces can be a mobile device or dashboard of a computer connected to the internet. For example, if the user of IoT for a smart door wanted to allow a person other than himself (who is wearing the smart watch or bracelet), he can use his mobile app (desktop app) connected to the smart door network to open and close the door. The interface should also indicate if any of the connected items have disconnected from the network. In fact, the ability to visualize the operations of IoT is one of the beauties of the technology.
Automation: The ability of the items connected together to execute and carry out their expected functions without the assistance of humans is another beauty of the IoT technology. If the user of the smart door will still open the door by himself, the sweetness of the technology will reduce. This automation makes it possible for the temperature of a smart home to be automatically adjusted, without human assistance, in line with the program put into the central processor.
This interesting IoT has many applications such as smart homes (with smart doors, temperature control, etc), health care, industry, transportation, security, etc; and also has some inherent challenges that researches are still working out processes to overcome them. We will continue to discuss this topic in subsequent posts.
PICTURE CREDITS
Devices /Micro.ai
Opening door with key/pixabay
Automatic Door/IQ Glass
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