What is IoT?

What is IoT?

The modern home is filled with IoT devices. While we can verbally ask for a smart device to turn on lights, use an app on our phone to open a garage door, or see who is at our front door when motion is detected, we still cannot ask a replicator for “tea, Earl Grey, hot.” Hopefully, this future smart device will herald in the future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned.

So, what is IoT? IoT stands for Internet of Things. You’re probably familiar with this ‘internet’ concept. But what is a ‘thing?’ A thing is an object that has connected inputs and outputs and is connected to the internet through some sort of gateway (like Wi-Fi).

“Things” are generally small, have low power consumption, and are dedicated to only a small handful of tasks. These purpose-built devices actually outnumber living, breathing internet users like yourself. There is no official record keeping of IoT devices, but a study estimated in 2003, there was one IoT device for about every 12 people. But by 2010, there were about two IoT devices per internet user.

In 2025, there are an estimated 27.1 billion IoT devices connected and operational across the globe!