Recent Trends in the Internet of Things
Prof. Himadri Nath Saha
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Institute of Engineering and Management Kolkata,
India
Abstract—The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a hot topic
in the present tech-driven world. A strong framework of cloud
computing, backed up by a seamless blending of sensors and
actuators with the environment around us, is making this
"network of networks of autonomous objects" a reality. From
smart wearables to smart cities, from domestic life to industries,
the IoT is expanding itself to different areas. According to
Gartner Inc., the IoT will include 26 billion units installed by
2020. Smart security solutions, smart home automation, smart
health care, smart wearables etc. are in-trend applications of IoT,
and by the near future we expect to see its application to a city's
transportation system or smart power grids. This paper presents
a brief overview on different trends of the IoT and also discusses
about the effects of the IoT on our day-to-day life. It also
discusses the importance of cloud computing, autonomous
control, artificial intelligence in the context of the IoT. Lastly, it's
concluded with the need of synchronization of the Internet,
wireless sensors and actuators and distributed computing for
successfully enabling technologies for the IoT.
Keywords—The Internet of Things, Smart devices, Cloud
Computing, Wireless Networks, Machine Learning, Embedded
Systems, Automation
I. INTRODUCTION
The Internet of Things(IoT) is a network of networks of
physical objects that may include, but are not limited to,
vehicles, buildings, construction equipment and health
monitoring devices [1]. Such a network would utilize
electronic devices such as sensors and actuators to fulfil its
purpose: exchange and update information and hence
negotiate to achieve an optimum performance by the overall
system.
Origination of such concept of connected smart devices
traces its way back to 1982, when a modified coke machine at
Carnegie Mellon University became the first Internet
connected appliance [2], able to report its inventory and
whether newly loaded drinks were cold. The term “Internet of
Things” was coined by Peter. T. Lewis in 1985, in a speech
given at a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
supported wireless session at the Congressional Black Caucus
15th Legislative Weekend Conference. In his speech, he stated
that "The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the integration of
people, processes and technology with connectable devices
and sensors to enable remote monitoring, status, manipulation
and evaluation of trends of such devices" [3]. 1991 seminal
paper of Mark Weiser on ubiquitous computing, “The
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Abhilasha Mandal, Abhirup Sinha
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Institute of Engineering and Management Kolkata,
India
Computer of the 21st Century”, as well as academic venues as
such UbiComp and PerCom produced the contemporary vision
of IoT [4][5].
The concept of the IoT gained popularity at 1999, through
MIT’s Auto-ID Centre [6]. Kevin Ashton (one of the founders
of Auto-ID centre) used to see Radio-frequency identification
(RFID) as a prerequisite of the IoT, as a way to tag objects of
daily life with identifiers, so computer can manage and
inventory them [7][8][9]. Besides using RFID, tagging of
things could be done by using barcodes, QR codes or Near
Field Communication (NFC) technology [10] [11].
Now in 2016, vision of IoT has evolved largely. There has
been convergence of multiple technologies like cloud
computing, wireless networking, real-time analytics, machine
learning, sensors and embedded systems [14]. The traditional
fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control
systems, automation and others all contribute to enabling the
IoT [12].
II. TRENDS
A. Market Size
Gartner predicts that the Internet of Things (IoT) will
include 26 billion units installed by 2020, by which time,
suppliers of IoT products and services will generate
incremental revenue exceeding $300 billion, mostly in
services, Gartner forecasts [13].
Naturally, businesses from all verticals see IoT
opportunities ahead. Cisco Systems blends IoT with more
traditional IT devices (PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc.) to
describe “the Internet of Everything.” There will be more
mobile devices and smartphones connected than the total
global population by 2015, according to Cisco. By 2020, more
than 5 billion people will be connected, not to mention 50
billion things, Cisco forecasts [14].
Big companies see IoT opportunities from different angles.
GE, for instance, refers to the global network connecting
people, data and machines as the Industrial Internet.
Moreover, the Industrial Internet has the potential to add $10
trillion to $15 trillion to the GDP (global domestic product)
from 2012 to 2032, CEO Jeff Immelt has predicted [15]. GE is
investing $1 billion to develop related Industrial Internet
technologies and applications.

B. Standards
For IoT to really thrive, vendors and customers will need to
embrace open standards that improve device monitoring and
management; big data information gathering and analytics; and
overall network communications.
Key IoT standards initiatives are underway at the IEEE
Standards Association (IEEE-SA).
Also, vendor-led groups like the AllSeen Alliance are
driving open source efforts to advance IoT beyond the
connected home. More than 100 member companies include
consumer electronics companies, home appliance makers, auto
makers, cloud providers, retailers, software developers and
more.
C. Security Considerations
The increasing digitization and automation of the
multitudes of devices deployed across different areas of
modern urban environments are set to create new security
challenges to many industries, according to Gartner [16].
D. People and Process Considerations
Significant security challenges will remain as the big data
created as a result of the deployment of myriad devices will
drastically increase security complexity. This, in turn, will
have an impact on availability requirements, which are also
expected to increase, putting real-time business processes and,
potentially, personal safety at risk, Gartner asserts [16].
E. Consumer Privacy Considerations
As is already the case with smart metering equipment and
increasingly digitized automobiles, there will be a vast amount
of data providing information on users' personal use of devices
that, if not secured, can give rise to breaches of privacy. This
is particularly challenging as the information generated by IoT
is a key to bringing better services and the management of
such devices, Gartner states [16].
F. Data Management Considerations
The impact of the IoT on storage is two-pronged in types
of data to be stored: personal data (consumer-driven) and big
data (enterprise-driven). As apps and devices continue to learn
about the user, significant data will be generated, Gartner
states [17].
G. Storage Management Considerations
The impact of the IoT on storage infrastructure is another
factor contributing to the increasing demand for more storage
capacity, and one that will have to be addressed as this data
becomes more prevalent. The focus today must be on storage
capacity, as well as whether or not the business can harvest
and use IoT data in a cost-effective manner, Gartner asserts
[16].
H. Server Investment Considerations
The impact of IoT on the server market will be largely
focused on increased investment in key vertical industries and
organizations related to those industries where IoT can be
profitable or add significant value, Gartner states [16].
I. Bandwidth Considerations
Existing data center WAN links are sized for the moderate-
bandwidth requirements generated by human interactions with
applications. IoT promises to dramatically change these
patterns by transferring massive amounts of small message
sensor data to the data center for processing, dramatically
increasing inbound data center bandwidth requirements,
Gartner said [16].
Fig. 1. Technology Roadmap: The Internet of Things
III. IOT ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
There are many technologies that enable the IoT. The
main role is to setup connections between various nodes of an
IoT installation, which can be achieved by several
wireless/wired networks.
• In 2000s, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was
the key technology. However, later Near Field
Communication (NFC) became the major player. It
became common in smart phone technologies during
2010s, being used to read NFC tags or for accessing
different objects like automated doors, merchant
payment etc.
• Development in optical technologies like Li-Fi
(Light Fidelity) or Cisco’s 40 Gbps bidirectional
Internet (BiDi [18]) can be helpful for the IoT.
• Quick response (QR) codes can be used for low-cost
tagging. Phone cameras decode QR codes by using
image processing.
• ZigBee communication technology, based on IEEE
802.15.4 2.4-GHz radio protocol, is going to be an
interesting IoT enabler technology due to its
characteristics like low power consumption, low data
rate, low cost and high message throughput.
• Ethernet can be used to enable IoT communication
over twisted pair or fiber network links.
• LTE-Advanced is an advanced version of original
LTE (Long Term Evolution), having extended
coverage, higher throughput and lower latency.
Though targeted for mobile communications, it can
also be used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
communication.
 • WiFi-Direct, a wireless connection for peer-to-peer
communication without needing an access point, helps
to build IoT applications having speed of WiFi while
they experience lower latency.
• Mostly used communication protocol in case of
smart home appliances is Z-Wave. It uses a radio
protocol in 900 MHz-band. Primarily targeted at
residential control and automation market, Z-Wave
provides a simple and reliable method to wirelessly
control lighting, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning), security systems etc. A Z-Wave
automation system can be controlled via the Internet,
with a Z-Wave gateway or central control device
serving as both the Z-Wave hub controller and portal
to the outside [19].
• Thread is a networking protocol for IoT, based on
IPv6. Thread uses 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low Power
Wireless Personal Area Networks), which in turn
uses the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless protocol with mesh
communication, like ZigBee. However, thread is IP-
addressable, with cloud access and AES (Advanced
Encryption Standard) encryption, can currently
support up to 250 devices in one local network mesh
[20].
IV. LIMITATIONS
A. Cost of Implementation
Its implementation is feasible on a new system which is in
the process of construction. However, to apply it to an existing
system would require complete dismantlement of the system
into parts small enough to allow the installment of a network.
For example, a house that already has a fully functioning
plumbing, electricity and cable television connections and
security system would incur an impractical cost of
dissimilating and reassembling to be converted into a smart
home.
B. Security and Privacy Concerns
Such a system would also require foolproof cyber security
as it would invariably be susceptible to hacking. In 2015, a
group of hackers took down a power grid in western Ukraine
to cause the first blackout from a cyber-attack [21].
Additionally, a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report found
that fewer than 10,000 households can generate 150 million
discrete data points every day [22]. This creates more entry
points for hackers and leaves sensitive information vulnerable.
C. Network Space Considerations
Connection to the Internet means each device will be
assigned a unique IP address. However, due to the
exhaustion of IPv4 address spaces, objects in IoT must use
IPv6 to accommodate extremely large address space used. A
lot of ISPs have not yet adapted IPv6, which limits the mass
use of IoT enabled technologies.
V. CONCLUSION
Here, we’ve focused on recent developments
and researches going on in the field of the IoT. Fields
other than the ones mentioned earlier will also be
benefited by it. Various governments are also backing up
different projects based on the IoT. Big industries have
already begun investment on IoT projects. As pointed out
in section III, the enabling technologies helps us in
practical realization of IoT systems and solutions, before
it is up for mass adaption. It is expected that the
application of IoT is going to expand to smart grids and
smart cities by 2025. But like other technical
advancements, IoT applications too have security
loopholes, as mentioned in section IV. That should be
taken care of while implementing IoT solutions. There
have already been several recommendations by FTC on
data security, data consent and data minimization [23].
Several standards for the IoT industry are actually being
established relating to automobiles because most concerns
arising from use of connected cars apply to healthcare
devices as well.
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