"While there are 5 billion handsets in the world that we want to connect to, there may be 500 billion devices out there that present a tremendous opportunity"--John ChenThe Internet of Things is here and it's "going to be huge." What's the Internet of Things (IoT)?
"Essentially, IoT refers to connecting everything from washing machines, to toasters and thermostats to the internet. M2M usually refers to devices that require specially designed listening applications to capture data at end points and to transmit it across networks and to generate specific alerts or actions based on that data. IoT includes the attributes of M2M, but its connections are to "things" that don't necessarily require specially designed listening applications. High-end reprographic equipment that phones home to send toner-low messages to service personnel is a good example of M2M, while a toaster that simply broadcasts its asset class, serial number, manufacture date, etc. would be classified as an IoT "thing" as there wouldn't be a specialized listening application processing specific data or alerts. However this is not to say that the toaster could not be promoted to M2M class by issuing a specific "I'm on fire" alert." (source: Seeking Alpha)
Obviously the Internet of Things will have a huge impact on networks and data storage. For example, "To a large extent, the future of the Internet of Things will not be possible without the support of IPv6; and consequently the global adoption of IPv6... will be critical for the successful development of the IoT" (source: Wikipedia)
What will be the naming scheme of the Internet of Things? Will the human-friendly domain name system be used or just IP addresses? Or a separate thing name service? There are various proposals out there--
How to build a domain name system for the internet of things: The same system we use to keep track of web site addresses should be adapted for identifying devices on the internet of things, says Andrew Sullivan, the director of architecture at DYN. In the podcast embedded below, Andrew Sullivan, director of Architecture at DYN, explains why we should use the domain name system for the internet of things (a plan that Google also seems to be endorsing with its Physical Web) and what it might take to adapt URLs for devices. His argument is that other schemes might be technically better, but would require everyone to adopt an entirely new architecture, which is a pretty rare event in the world of tech standards. So by using something that we know can scale and is already in place we can move faster toward devices that can connect to the web and share information on demand. (source: Looking for an architecture for the internet of things? Try DNS) Host: Stacey Higginbotham -- discussion of DNS and Internet of Things starts at 25:40 below--
Discussion of DNS and Internet of Things starts at 25:40 above [recorded 31 Oct 2014]
Read more:
- The Internet of Things and DNS | Internet of Things Journal
- A DNS Architecture for the Internet of Things: A Case Study in Transport Logistics
- DNS and IoT for Swisscom (pdf)
- The Physical Web - Google: "The Physical Web is not shipping yet nor is it a Google product. This is an early-stage experimental project and we're [Google] developing it out in the open as we do all things related to the web... Why is this important? The number of smart devices is going to explode, and the assumption that each new device will require its own application just isn't realistic. We need a system that lets anyone interact with any device at any time. The Physical Web isn't about replacing native apps: it's about enabling interaction when native apps just aren't practical."
- Position Paper on Thing Name Service (TNS) for the Internet of Things (IoT)--IAB (pdf)
- Internet of Things Factsheet Identification (pdf)
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