What is IoT and why is it growing so exponentially?

Digital is normal. People are connected to the internet 24/7. Via smartphone, laptop but also in the cabin of a truck or an excavator.

Everything is connected to everything else via the internet, especially for businesses.

According to market researcher Gartner in 2020, almost 6 billion devices were connected. There is a term for this type of connectivity: the Internet of Things, or IoT. What is IoT?

WHAT IS IOT?

The 'Internet of Things' is a collection of devices that are connected to the internet. Almost anything with an on/off switch has the ability to connect to the internet.

In the consumer world, applications range from Fitbit, Google Glass to toys or you can control your entire home via home automation systems such as the Homey gateway.

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication is widely used in the manufacturing and energy sectors.

Further applications include medical sensors, or in aircraft to mobile vehicles such as cars, trucks and cranes. 

What are the possibilities of the Internet of Things?

If you think about it, the possibilities and opportunities are virtually endless.

With IoT products you can independently prepare maintenance reports and perform diagnoses.

But there are more domains in which IoT is applied.

What is IoT in Agriculture, Energy or Automotive?

In the consumer world, IoT is better known as home automation or smart home. There are many manufacturers that offer (own..) solutions, such as Philips Hue or Ikea Smart Home with their smart lighting solutions. But there are more and more.

Think of the smart coffee machine, garden sprinklers, door communication, weather stations, central heating, smoke detectors and the refrigerator.

In the B2B market it is also becoming commonplace. Factory machines, cars, buildings are also connected to the internet via chips and sensors.

This is often done via cellular LPWAN protocols, WiFi or Bluetooth, although it can also be done via a LAN (RJ45) network.

For example, in agriculture, IoT is used to monitor machinery (GPS information) or to monitor environmental conditions in a stable.

In the energy sector, the best-known example is the smart meter, which allows the end user to view his consumption in real time and the energy supplier does not have to send out meter readers to record the readings.

In the automotive market, especially in the professional application, IoT is indispensable. Just think of road transport.

Each truck is connected to the internet to transmit location data and the status of the load.

Gepro also has a climate control solutions made for a transport company for poultry transport. The environmental conditions (temperature, CO2) are closely monitored and in case of deviation there is cooling or heating. 

What is IoT financial?

IoT is still in its infancy, the possibilities are endless. Companies are increasingly seeing opportunities and ways to save costs and/or improve processes with their IoT systems.

Most of the benefits are financial, such as:

• Less downtime and time savings due to defective machines or equipment
• Increased productivity thanks to automation, such as remote monitoring of machines, buildings or cars
• More efficient production through real-time diagnostic capabilities
• Less waste through smarter inventory management
• Improved customer experience and customer service through faster response to issues and analysis.

Of course, investments in hardware and software are required, but most business cases show that profitability is increased by the application of IoT.

Big data and IoT

The information that comes in via the internet is a lot. In jargon this is called Big Data and the collection of data can in principle continue indefinitely. Only this big data must be translated into insights. More and more solutions are coming for that too.

For example, the big tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon (AWS) are seriously active in the IoT domain with all kinds of cloud and portal solutions.

For example, Microsoft publishes an annual IoT Market Report containing the latest IoT developments that they also use for their own product development.

WHAT IS IOT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Gepro is a specialist in IoT. All our solutions are connected to the internet and sensor data is stored in the cloud.

This data is displayed in powerful portals so customers can make business decisions.

If you are interested or have any questions about IoT, please do not hesitate to Contact to include.