IoT has never stopped evolving its definition since its debut in the 1990s.

According to Gartner (https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/internet-of-things), the concept of IoT is defined as follows:

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and sense or interact with their internal states or the external environment.”

However, as of today, this definition may seem a little cliché and out of date. Initially, the notion of IoT was specifically designed to support traditional machine-to-machine (M2M) communication within manufacturing plants, where it was constrained by wired copper twists, Ethernet cables, and power supply cords. It was typically deployed in a fixed scenario with no mobility, scalability, elasticity, power consumption, and cost efficiency.

Since 1999, when IoT was officially named by Kevin Ashton, MIT’s Executive...

When exploring the IoT addressable market, there are several approaches available to make segmentation possible, such as differentiating from technology specifications, application designs, business models, or applicable verticals. However, this chapter will focus on an easy-to-understand market segmentation approach based on the application’s premises. This approach can be especially beneficial for beginners to precisely identify their target market for innovation. By understanding where applications are being deployed, beginners can gain valuable insights into the specific needs and challenges of various locations.

Residential

A smart home is a convenient and accessible environment for beginners to practice their first IoT innovations. It provides a low-hanging fruit scenario for newbie developers to experiment with their innovation.

One major advantage of a smart home is its easy access to existing home Wi-Fi networks, eliminating the need for...

Following the stride of IoT expanding into new spaces, it consistently impacts us from every corner, every dimension, and every time. Some of them you are just aware of, with tangible benefits that catch your attention remarkably; some of them you are ignoring because they have already been part of your daily life for many years.

In summary, there are four key improvements that have been brought about by the expansion of IoT into various spaces. These improvements have had a significant impact on our lives, making them more comfortable, safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly.

Living comfort and safety improvement

In our daily lives, IoT has brought about numerous benefits, greatly enhancing our comfort and safety within various areas of our living spaces.

Personal care

Personal care is one of the most popular IoT applications among individuals, typically using a smartwatch to measure heart rate, blood oxygen level, walking steps, and location...

In this chapter, we embarked on a journey through the fundamental concepts of IoT, gained insights into its vast and ever-expanding market, and explored how IoT seamlessly integrates into various markets, from our personal spaces in homes to the broader realms of cities and industries. The chapter also shed light on the profound impact of IoT, illustrating how it is not just reshaping our interactions with technology but also revolutionizing our day-to-day efficiency, sustainability, and overall quality of life. By understanding the basics and recognizing the major influence of IoT, we set the stage for delving deeper into each of its architecture’s composed elements and got ready to practice the 10 engineering projects listed in Chapter 11, including hardware illustration, ChatGPT prompt templates, and example codes.

There are many professional books talking about IoT from different perspectives, the following book is highly recommended which were written my former talent colleagues.

IoT Fundamentals: Networking Technologies, Protocols, and Use Cases for the Internet of Things, David Hanes, Gonzalo Salgueiro, Patrick Grossetete, Robert Barton, Jerome Henry, Cisco Press.

It’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with key terms associated with IoT before moving forward. Following are some of them: