Blog / Leadership


The Internet of things starts at home


by Alister Maple-Brown CEO Rockend

Connectivity is not a new concept. It was as far back as 1991 that we had a preview of how connectivity would impact our lives. That year, researchers at the University of Cambridge invented the world’s first webcam to solve their coffee problem. Frustrated by pointless trips down the hall to the coffee machine only to find the pot empty, they set up a video camera near the machine and networked it to a computer. Now they could see whether the coffee pot was full or empty in real time.

Today, billions of devices across the world are networked, sharing what they see, hear and sense with the internet. Devices that defy the usual definition of ‘computer’ are communicating over networks and it’s changing how we interact with our physical world. We’re witnessing the rise of the Internet of Things.

THE PERFECT STORM

The Internet of Things is a simple concept. It’s a series of a interconnected electronic devices that wirelessly share information. It includes everything from smartphones and wearables to drones and industrial robots. Inexpensive computing power, cheap or free connectivity and our ‘always on’ mobile mentality have created the ‘perfect storm’ for the rise of the Internet of Things. The number of networked devices already outnumbers our global population, and by 2020 it’s estimated there will be 26 billion devices connected to the internet.

CONNECTED LIVING

The ‘smart home’ is synonymous with the Internet of Things. Imagine a world where your fridge talks to your mobile phone, your alarm clock communicates with your coffee machine or your home’s air conditioning syncs with your car’s GPS. While it may sound like science fiction, the reality is that all these things already exist and are available right now.

So why aren’t smart homes the norm? Why aren’t we all making use of this technology?

It’s one thing to have the technology. It’s another for it to be useable. One of the biggest challenges facing smart homes is creating ecosystems that work together seamlessly. It’s not just about technology and connectivity. It’s also about usability. The advent of the iPhone saw mobile internet usage go through the roof. You could already access the internet on your mobile – it just wasn’t a good experience. The iPhone made mobile internet access user-friendly. It will be the same for smart living. Today, smart living technologies are clunky. But as soon as the user experience improves, it will become the norm. Usability is the key.

WHAT’S COMING

In the not too distant future, we can expect that we’ll live in a connected universe of smart cities, smart transportation, smart homes and more – where not only our refrigerators, but the stores we buy our food from and the trucks that deliver that food are all connected. But here and now, the smart home represents the most tangible aspect of the Internet of Things. The future is already here!

 

 

 


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