The Internet of Things: Oh, we are going there.

Suppose, when you have disabled your alarm, you heard your coffee machine working before you opened your eyes. Your thermostat has already adjusted it to the right temperature, your car is already heating up in the front yard. Sounds convenient, right? It is the interesting part about it that your fridge is aware that you are out of milk and refills you. Your smart watch recognizes some alarming health patterns and delegates a doctor. Something wrong with your face even, not merely that, but your front door.

I realize that you are yelling that it is a science fiction. But this is Internet of Things and it is doing it at an unimaginable pace.

Beyond Just “Smart” Gadgets

The thing is that we have already passed the period of non-cool gadgets of people. It is not the idea of owning a smart toaster or a voice activated light switch that is being modified. It is a question of evolving a system of the brain that is able to learn, be able to adapt and be able to do it even more successfully.

The Internet of Things does not denote an intelligence but is an Intelligence of Things. These are not information collecting machines but rather progressively making decisions on their own and this is sure to change drastically the life styles and patterns of working.

By 2030, it is estimated that over 30 billion IoT devices can be found in the world. But honestly? The number isn’t what matters. The thing is that they are in collaboration. It is this kind of systems that is making them partial what you can call something of context awareness that they know patterns, they can tell what you want and it is more or less intuitive. I think it is too instinctive, at any rate now and then.

Smart Cities Have Come to Life.

Go to Singapore, Barcelona, or Dubai and then you will realize the future is being constructed today. Internet of Things is simply the nervous system of such cities. The traffic flows are adjusted using real time information. The streetlights either get dull or bright when no one is present. Garbage trucks use the most optimal routes. When pollution reaches a peak, air quality sensors cause instant reaction.

And it is really taking effect. Crazy time spent on finding a parking place Urban drivers waste an insane amount of time at least according to some studies, 40 per cent of that time could be reduced with smart parking systems which direct the driver to an open parking space. Smart grids are also becoming a reality, and they are smoothly integrated with renewable energy sources and ensure that outages do not occur.

It is worth paying attention to the climate impact, only. Smart lighting, heating, and cooling of the buildings that will change depending on the occupancy level and weather will reduce energy consumption by 30-50. Multiply that by millions of buildings and in thousands of cities and you are not only talking about convenience you are talking about a weapon that is very important in combating climate change.

But Let’s Speak of the Elephant in the Room.

An increased connectivity is equated to an increased vulnerability. It does not involve mincing words, security is the greatest problem of IoT, and we need to talk about it.

All the devices that are linked together are possible points of cyberattacks. Talking of the critical infrastructure interconnected, stakes are quite frightening. An intruded smart house might literally open your doors. The use of a compromised medical device may jeopardize the life of a person. Hacked industrial systems may cause power outages or close down water treatment plant.

The traditional security model that defends the border is no longer sufficient. We must have zero-trust models, active patching, and AI-based threat prediction. This isn’t optional.

And then there’s privacy. Who does the data belong to when it is all gathering data? How is it being used? Can you delete it? Should you be able to? The GDPR of Europe is a mere introductory chapter in a significantly longer world-wide discussion on the rights to the data, which we all must participate in.

The Tech Making It Possible

The two technologies truly unleashing the power of IoT are 5G networks and edge computing.

Edge computing processes data in close proximity to where it was created, rather than sending all of that data to a cloud server (which can be thousands of miles away). How well (or poorly) we do this can literally be the difference between life or death in some instances – for example, self-driving vehicles being able to process data and react in milliseconds to avoid an accident.

5G networks also provide the bandwidth, reliability, and speed that large-scale IoT deployments absolutely require. We are talking about networks that will support a million devices per square kilometer with latency below 10 milliseconds. This is actually what is making autonomous vehicles, smart cities and industrial IoT feasible at large scale.

The Road Ahead Isn’t Always Smooth

Look, I am genuinely excited about the possibilities for IoT, but let’s be candid about the challenges that remain. For one, standardization is a total mess, since devices from one manufacturer may not properly communicate with devices from another manufacturer. Second, battery life will always limit the use of sensors in the wild. Lastly, a real concern remains that the digital divide ultimately leaves entire communities behind while the developed world once again rushes forward.

But the possibilities? They far outweigh the challenges. As IoT technologies mature, they will undoubtedly create entire new industries and vocations that we have never even imagined.

The Conclusion

The future of the Internet of Things is about erasing the line between the digital and the physical. Simply, it is about having technology that is so seamless and so integrated with our lives that we become oblivious to it like electricity or running water. Just part of life.

We are at a tipping point. The decisions we make now regarding security, privacy, accessibility, and ethics are going to determine whether the benefits of IoT will be broadly reaped or enjoyed by a few. Of one thing we can be sure: the Internet of Things is not a future. The future is being written today, one connected device at a time.

And I’ll tell you what? It is both thrilling and a bit daunting.