What are IoT devices?

There are two necessary conditions for an object to become an IoT device:

• The device must be able to connect to the internet;
• The device must be equipped with a technology - sensor, tracker, chip, or software - that enables it to connect to other devices with the same technology.

By combining these two necessary conditions, IoT devices are created. For example, in the past, traditional watches could only tell time, date, and altitude based on their level of advancement. Today, through embedded sensors, human vital signs can be monitored and sent to a database.

How do IoT devices connect?

The communication protocols for connecting IoT devices usually include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE, ZigBee, and other wireless protocols.

What are the advantages of IoT devices?

• M2M interaction: IoT devices encourage machine-to-machine (M2M) interaction for data collection and exchange.
• Real-time data collection: IoT devices are integrated with environmental sensors, allowing for continuous and automated data collection.

Through analysis of the collected data, users will be able to make data-driven decisions.

What are the disadvantages of IoT devices?

• Compatibility: compatibility between devices from different manufacturers may be a problem.
• Data security: IoT devices connect to shared networks, making them vulnerable to network attacks and data breaches.
• Privacy restrictions: IoT devices continuously collect data about users and their surrounding environment, which many users feel violates their privacy.

What are some examples of IoT devices?

Smart home devices

Smart home devices have voice recognition sensors for processing human speech. Additionally, they are connected to the internet, allowing them to perform various tasks such as playing music or answering trivia questions. They can also be interconnected with other smart devices in a house, allowing them to control these devices, such as turning on the TV or lights.

Smart watches and wearables

Smart watches are a different type of IoT device that have become increasingly popular over the past decade. They have motion and thermal sensors, which can monitor vital signs and transmit them to databases, allowing for the prediction of heart attacks and timely notifications to users. In sports, athletes wear a smart vest underneath their jersey. 

The smart vest is equipped with GPS trackers and connects to the club's analytics database, allowing analysts to track players' performance (speed, movement, etc.) on the field.

Smart cities

In Copenhagen, sensors are embedded in garbage cans to track the fill levels of the bins. This allows city administrators to only collect when bins are at or above a certain fill level, saving time, fuel, and energy required for garbage collection.

Neoway is a forward-looking cellular module manufacturers dedicated to providing communication products and related services tailored for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Our diverse array of offerings includes neoway N58/N720/G7A/N715/N511/Neo N21/Neo N11/T box automotive. If you need further information, feel free to reach out to us.