20 million objects around us are connected to each other. The internet of things (IoT) is the technology that is responsible for this. So, have you understood the problem? Besides, through its great development, are there any career opportunities in this field?

The answer is in this article. Let’s listen to everything!

What is IoT?

The internet has certainly become a part of your life. Through it, you can find a variety of new information. Not to mention, this connection also allows you to send information. Do not go far, for example, when chatting with friends.

What if the internet is not only connected via HP or laptop? For example, you connected the internet to a coffee maker? Forbes says the IoT is a concept for doing this. In Indonesian, this term is often called the internet for everything.

Not just a coffee maker, you know. The internet can also be installed for washing machines, lights, to anything you can think of. So, why must all objects be connected? Well, like the internet on your cellphone, all of this will make it easier to exchange messages.

For example, you set an alarm on your clock. The clock is connected to the internet. Incidentally, your coffee maker is also connected to it. Your watch can send a message to the coffee maker what time you wake up.

At that hour, the engine must start and mix your coffee. You don’t need to turn on the coffee machine yourself. All of that runs automatically. That way, your life can become easier.

Its use itself is not only for home appliances, you know. Edureka said, the internet of things can be used in:

• gadgets, for example a smartwatch
• health, to collect complete patient information
• smart city, for example for waste management
• agriculture, for example the smart greenhouse
• industry, for example warehouse management

A Brief History of the IoT

Like everything else in the world, the internet for everything did not just appear. Launching Wired, he has a long history. Much of the technology in this world has emerged from science fiction. IoT is one of them. The idea to “live” a home starts from there.

First of all, came the kitchen furniture with automatic functions. For example, a toaster that turns itself off when the bread is cooked. This is of course different from a machine that must be turned off by yourself. However, still, there is no communication process via the internet there.

It just happened in 1990. At that time, John Romkey connected the toaster to his computer. This is the beginning of the emergence of the IoT. However, the term was only introduced by Kevin Ashton in 1999.

Until now, the internet touched more and more things. As of 2020, there are 20 million objects connected to it. Not to mention, the internet of things can be combined with other technologies.

For example, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and others. The combination will give birth to even more sophisticated objects. This bridge between goods certainly makes your life easier. Unfortunately, this is not always positive.

Through the internet of things, you share a lot of information. Key Info said, the amount of this data could make it difficult to maintain its confidentiality. It could be, there are irresponsible people who misuse your personal information. Of course, over time, this issue is always being tackled and trying to solve.

How the IoT Works

In fact, the internet of things works quite complicated. However, you can understand it easier when the elements are disassembled one by one.

The elements and the way they work are:

• Sensor
  One of the main components of the IoT are sensors. Its job is to collect data from the environment of objects. Usually, the information he is looking for is uncomplicated. Among them are, location, temperature, to date. An example is in the coffee maker earlier. It collects data in the form of time, what time you wake up, so it has to turn on by itself. Sometimes, complex information is also collected by sensors. For example, the patient’s condition in the hospital.
• Connection
  The censors have got the information. So, what should he do with the data? The answer is, send it. Usually, they take advantage of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or some other connection. This information will go to the big data processing engine.
• Data processing
  The next stage of IoT work is data processing. In this step, your information will be processed into results. For example, you come home at 6:00 p.m. The automatic light is in charge of monitoring the time and sending it to the processing machine. After that, the data will be assessed, whether the clock shows 6 o’clock in the afternoon. Otherwise, the lights won’t turn on. If so, the opposite will happen to the lamp.
• User interface (UI)
  You must have received a notification on your cellphone. This user interface form is the final step in the internet of things. For example, suppose your house was broken into by a thief. As it turned out, the security system detected this. The machine will send you a notification.