JoeDavola Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 As a software guy I know I should be up to speed with all this stuff, but I've heard people throwing the term about so googled it and got this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#2ef0b7736828 Quote Simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This seems like gimmicky over-engineering to me. I don't need my coffee maker, washing machine, or lap to be connected to the internet. I'm ok interacting with these things directly by pressing a button on them when I'm standing beside them. Have I completely mis-understood what IoT is? As a former consultant it just sounds like this year's buzz-word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I only came across it relatively recently. It's this year's buzz-word. It appears to be concerned with the open development of protocols to get a multitude of different devices to talk to each other with an eye on the potential size of the platform and quantity of bandwidth if you had every fridge in the world sending its inventory and orders to it along with the status of every other domestic appliance in every home. I must admit that I struggle to see the point of it myself and think ahead 100 years to a then-current series of "Look Around You" in which the Peter Serafinowicz of the day demonstrates where we thought that technology was going to be headed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Total drivel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 How long before the toaster is sending the fridge emails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntb Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 How long before the toaster has to watch appliance porn before it gets hot? It's BS and worse, it comes with a security risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I like the idea of the central heating controls being accessible from my phone. I can imagine it being very occasionally desirable to turn the oven on/off remotely. I can already check up on my car using my phone (where it is, is it locked, is it charging, how much charge etc) which is occasionally useful. I can't think of much else that would be particularly desirable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choochoo Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 It's already fairly easy to get a central heating system that can be controlled remotely, and it's definitely a benefit. The other thing I always find myself wanting access to is the oven. To be able to switch it on when you're 20mins away to heat up or to be able to put something in the oven and switch it on to cook in time for you coming home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 This is a bit like mobile phones. 40 years ago people would be banging on about how useless they are and how they would never need one. Now everyones got one. IOT will do lots of applications you can think of, and many more you can't yet or haven't been invented. For example, management of the smart electricity grid. You could load up your dishwasher/washing machine and wash when the price of electricity was lowest. A freezer could cool itself down on cheap electricity and allow itself to warm up during expensive periods. Cars placed on charge could charge up when demand is lowest. Traffic lights could automatically communicate to the grid when lights go down. The lights could also communicate to car engines to start up when they are about to change. Diagnostic engine information could be remotely sent to the car workshop. Some of these applications are in development already and some are already possible. Lots are currently being thought of. The possibilities are huge to those with the vision to create ideas and implement them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 20 minutes ago, choochoo said: It's already fairly easy to get a central heating system that can be controlled remotely, and it's definitely a benefit. The other thing I always find myself wanting access to is the oven. To be able to switch it on when you're 20mins away to heat up or to be able to put something in the oven and switch it on to cook in time for you coming home. Modern ovens have timers.Ours does and I can't think of an easier way to set fire to your house. (Other than a chip pan on remote control) Does your insurance cover you for remote switching on of oven? Imagine getting stuck in a major traffic jam and arriving home several hours late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 5 minutes ago, Gigantic Purple Slug said: IOT will do lots of applications you can think of, and many more you can't yet or haven't been invented. For example, management of the smart electricity grid. You could load up your dishwasher/washing machine and wash when the price of electricity was lowest. A freezer could cool itself down on cheap electricity and allow itself to warm up during expensive periods. Cars placed on charge could charge up when demand is lowest. These only really require some kind of timer. I'm sure there are myriad commercial uses, I was only considering the domestic consumer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 2 hours ago, JoeDavola said: As a software guy I know I should be up to speed with all this stuff, but I've heard people throwing the term about so googled it and got this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#2ef0b7736828 This seems like gimmicky over-engineering to me. I don't need my coffee maker, washing machine, or lap to be connected to the internet. I'm ok interacting with these things directly by pressing a button on them when I'm standing beside them. Have I completely mis-understood what IoT is? As a former consultant it just sounds like this year's buzz-word. It is generally known as the "Internet of Shit" by people who work on these things. As you say, no really compelling reasons to connect your pacemaker or whatever to the Internet and lots of reasons not to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldbug9999 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 A solution looking for a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I used to think that IoT was IPv6 with a marketing budget. Now its developed a life of its own and turned into something magical. My mum has enough problems with a single computer with a password. Imagine the fun and problems when the wiring, washing machine etc, are all hooked up. Home automation is OK with in house. Id not connect it to the interweb. Ditto - this sort of stuff will be very useful for a company - the ease of checking lights, access, security etc etc will overcome any admin hassle and costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 11 minutes ago, davidg said: It is generally known as the "Internet of Shit" by people who work on these things. As you say, no really compelling reasons to connect your pacemaker or whatever to the Internet and lots of reasons not to do it. Its a lot of hardware people putting ethernet ports on stuff and not thinking through the software implications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrillex Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikhail Liebenstein Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I think some of the views here on IoT are a bit uninformed. i agree about a lot of home automation being silly, but there are real applications for industry that do make sense. Things like predictive maintenance, managing energy or water consumption, smart vehicles etc. The trouble is the market is split between the small makers of automation and specialist sensors, and the huge network and IT firms that area really after the data. Anyway if you have an Amazon Dot or one of those dash buttons, that is also IoT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 This year's buzzword? Have you been living in a cave for the last 5 years? Anything described as 'smart' or having the 'I' prefix is likely to form part of the internet of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 2 hours ago, Hail the Tripod said: These only really require some kind of timer. I'm sure there are myriad commercial uses, I was only considering the domestic consumer. How would "some kind of timer" know that the wind was blowing hard and there was cheap electricity available on the grid ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 There will be a massive market/demand for white goods that are not internet enabled. People don't want this nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilf Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 2 hours ago, SarahBell said: Modern ovens have timers.Ours does and I can't think of an easier way to set fire to your house. (Other than a chip pan on remote control) Does your insurance cover you for remote switching on of oven? Imagine getting stuck in a major traffic jam and arriving home several hours late. It's remote switching on, I'd imagine its clever enough to have remote switching off also. Get stuck in a jam, ring up your oven "sorry old chap can you turn off again". Although I'd agree, I'd never use a timer on an oven to turn it on or off when I'm not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 43 minutes ago, Gigantic Purple Slug said: How would "some kind of timer" know that the wind was blowing hard and there was cheap electricity available on the grid ? Tariffs are set by time of day, not windiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 2 minutes ago, gilf said: It's remote switching on, I'd imagine its clever enough to have remote switching off also. Get stuck in a jam, ring up your oven "sorry old chap can you turn off again". Although I'd agree, I'd never use a timer on an oven to turn it on or off when I'm not there. The internet enabled smoke alarm could just be programmed to switch the cooker off, and your IP cameras could give you a pretty good idea of what was going on in the vicinity. IOT is a gradual revolution, it's not something that will happen all at once. Some of it is largely stuff that we've already got or better versions of it, like the example to set the sky box to record stuff from a mobile, or to answer the doorbell remotely while at work. It's just increasing levels of integration of information/action systems which will lead to greater control, flexibility, safety/security and maybe less expense. I can see how some people don't want or need it, but for others it can be a great benefit. When I see these sorts of threads I always imagine some old codger back in the 1970s going "the internet, what use would that be ?" The greater benefits of IOT will only probably start to be realised years down the line as people work harder to improve the levels of integration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Internet of Things is as bad as The Cloud and Cyberspace. None of them exist as the description. Its pure Marketing BS. we seem to be past the "virtual computing" nonsense..All software is virtual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 14 minutes ago, Hail the Tripod said: Tariffs are set by time of day, not windiness. I googled and got this. https://lids.mit.edu/research/research-highlights/market-mechanisms-matching-supply-and-demand-smart-power-grids There is a lot more information out there if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 49 minutes ago, gilf said: It's remote switching on, I'd imagine its clever enough to have remote switching off also. Get stuck in a jam, ring up your oven "sorry old chap can you turn off again". Although I'd agree, I'd never use a timer on an oven to turn it on or off when I'm not there. Not using your phone whilst driving I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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