IOT & Embedded

The internet of things (IoT) is a catch-all term for the growing number of electronics that aren't traditional computing devices, but are connected to the internet to send data, receive instructions or both. There's an incredibly broad range of things that fall under that umbrella: Internet-connected "smart" versions of traditional appliances like refrigerators, fan and light bulbs; gadgets that could only exist in an internet-enabled world like Alexa-style digital assistants; internet-enabled sensors that are transforming factories, healthcare, transportation, distribution centers and farms. The IoT brings the power of the internet, data processing and analytics to the real world of physical objects. For consumers, this means interacting with the global information network without the intermediary of a keyboard and screen; many of their everyday objects and appliances can take instructions from that network with minimal human intervention.

How Does the Internet of Things Work?

The Internet of Things requires three elements:

1] A way for devices to connect to other devices

2] A way for devices to gather data from other devices

3] A method for devices to process that data and make decisions

Individual devices with integrated sensors can connect and deliver information about their status to one another, creating a network of integrated things. While these IoT devices usually take some human setting up, once they're up and running, the process of collecting and sending data is autonomous and has a vast range of uses. IoT devices can piggyback on our existing internet connections using Wi-Fi (though there are plenty of wired IoT devices!), or they can use Bluetooth for closer-range direct connectivity without a middleman. Other options exist too, such as smart home protocols like ZigBee and Z-Wave.

But even after connecting, devices can only communicate with each other if they can "speak the same language" (i.e., they need to be able to decode the data sent to them). With so many potential "languages," it's impossible for one device to support them all. That's why many IoT platforms rely on an "interpreter" device, typically known as a smart home hub (if you're using it at home, of course).

For example, SmartThings products communicate with each other by passing data through a SmartThings Hub. This means each device only needs to know the Hub's language, while the Hub knows how to speak to each device. This relay allows the devices to indirectly communicate with ease. Now that the IoT and other smart devices are commonplace, more industry-wide IoT protocol standardization has taken place. As a result, you'll often find smart home hubs support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Matter, and ZigBee (or a combination of) out of the box, making sure you can connect all of your IoT and smart devices with ease.

What Is an IoT Platform?

An IoT platform is a set of tools that allows various devices to connect and communicate. We already talked about IoT and smart home hubs above, but they're only one part. An IoT platform is more like the overall building blocks of the process, and the hub is just one building block.

So, when someone talks about an IoT platform, they're typically talking about the hub (also called a gateway device), plus the communication protocol used by the platform (such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or Z-Wave), plus the underlying software that processes and transmits the network data. It also includes user-facing applications that allow humans to interact with the devices on the platform. But, although that sounds like a lot of different things you have to learn to begin using IoT devices, you won't always have to dig into every aspect of the IoT platform.

For example, SmartThings has its Hub as the gateway device. It also supports any device that can "speak" Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave, or Matter. These devices communicate through the Hub (e.g., a motion sensor detects movement and notifies the Hub, which turns on connected lightbulbs).