Modern technologies have digitalized the world in various ways. A critical technological advancement is smart devices that can communicate with each other through the internet. Internet of Things creates a global ecosystem of interconnected objects through the internet that uses embedded technology to communicate with each other and generate and exchange data without human intervention through an internet connection (Korte et al., 2021). IoT connects various devices, including smart vehicles, smart home appliances, smartphones, wearables, smart medical appliances, and smart industrial systems.
Characteristics of Internet of Things
Internet of things is characterized by:
InterconnectivityInterconnectivity among devices is an essential component of the internet of things. Without well-laid-out connectivity among devices, they cannot have meaningful interaction that allows for sharing of data without human intervention. However, not all connected devices are internet of things as they need to have an internet protocol (IP) that allows them to be uniquely addressable.
- Things Related Services
Internet of things exists when things that can be tagged are connected through a relationship with the services that they provide. IoT consists of physical and virtual things that work together seamlessly to provide things-related services.
- Data
Data is another crucial component that the internet of things depends on for its proper functionality. The connected devices must have the ability to collect correct data and correctly analyse them to allow for actions. They must filter out the data that is suitable from those that are not actionable. To do this, the devices must have the capability of reading analogue signals before converting them to an output that can be used to arrive at meaningful decisions.
- Communication
Internet of things connected devices must be able to communicate appropriately to each other. They should have a computerized language that allows them to have meaningful sharing of data between them. Poor communication among the devices could result in misinterpretation of data which could lead to making wrong decisions. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that all devices are designed to share data to and from each other accurately.
- Dynamic
Internet of things should allow devices to capture changes dynamically even when there is an interruption in one or more devices. The devices should work even when disconnected or in sleep mode to avoid misrepresenting data of some critical events when a disconnection occurs. Among other things that the devices should correctly read include any changes in the location, weather conditions, and the number of connected devices.
- Scalable
The internet of things as technological advancement is growing, and it is expected that the number of connected devices is likely to increase in the future. Thus, an IoT zone should handle the expansion of the number and types of devices that it can handle. Also, it should integrate a large amount of data due to changes in the volumes of data when it incorporates new devices.