Builders of the Internet of Things (IoT) have long promised consumers a more convenient future: We will all live in “smart homes” where surveillance cameras, thermostats and garage door openers will turn on and off automatically, our groceries will order and deliver themselves into our refrigerators, and our speakers will know our taste in music. In our “smart cities,” always-on surveillance systems will crack down on crime and sensor-driven roadways will put an end to traffic.

Yet this hyper-efficient, IoT-fueled future is years away and plenty of pundits and investors are talking about consumer IoT as a too-hyped trend that’s failing to take off. According to a 2016 Accenture survey, consumer demand for smartphones and IoT devices is stalling. So why aren’t consumers snapping up the new technology?

Source: Why The Consumer Internet Of Things Is Stalling | Forbes

Gemalto sees three key enablers of trust in order for the IoT economy to prosper.

Big data, cloud computing, network virtualization, machine learning, telemetry and so on; all large fields with immense potential and boasting wide application in the “internet of things” world. But all this technical jargon – emanating from different industries – can risk overcomplicating our comprehension of the IoT. To understand IoT’s key enablers, it’s first essential to break it down into its basic components.

Source: Connect, secure, monetize – building trust in IoT (Part 2) | RCR Wireless News

The “internet of things” has become such a widely used term that it feels like it’s been around for decades. Interestingly, even though it made it to the peak of inflated expectations in Gartner’s “Hype Cycle,” the term itself was coined back in 1999, almost two decades ago.

The development of the IoT converges multiple ecosystems and technology realms. It has real potential for telecom operators looking to extend connectivity from humans to machines; for governments working on smart city projects; for consumer electronics manufacturers building connected wearables; for banks trying to diversify payment services; or for enterprises looking to capitalize on the big data produced by billions of sensors. Such is the beauty of IoT – it unites many different industries and sectors.

While the promise of IoT is immense, the complexity of integrating heterogeneous ecosystems is admittedly a challenge, and one that is best handled by players that understand the digital nature of these heterogeneous systems.

Source: Connect, secure, monetize – building trust in IoT | RCR Wireless News 

In the mythical Land of Theory, where everything “just works,” we can connect all the objects in our lives. We have the sensors, the wireless networks, and the computing power, but progress is slow if not comically wrong. Why?

Source: The Internet of (poorly working) Things | Quartz

Many people by now have some level of awareness of The Internet of Things (IoT), if not first-hand experience. Washing machines sending notifications when a part needs renewing. A kettle boiling based on your estimated waking time. Lights that switch on when you arrive. These are all examples of devices in the IoT.

So what’s the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also described as the Industrial Internet, all about? Simply, it’s IoT – applied to manufacturing. Cloud computing may have freed IT support to become agile innovators and the IIoT will do the same for machines, “freeing” them to direct other machines, networks, and connectors.

Source: Inspecting the Industrial Internet of Things | ITProPortal

The Internet of Things is rapidly exerting its influence over the plumbing, mechanical and HVACR industry. Top execs at Watts Water Technologies told us that they want to turn all of their products into communicating devices. VRF and ductless split manufacturer Samsung announced plans to invest $1.2 billion in

the U.S. on IoT over the next four years. Dewalt showed us how they can communicate with the BIM model of a building so that you can accurately place all of the pipe and duct hangers in a building before concrete is poured. Honeywell, Nest Labs, White Rodgers, ecobee and Lux Products have taken deep dives into the smart home market.

Source: Don’t Get Lost in the IoT Landscape | Contracting Business

Everyone is waiting for the Internet of Things. The funny thing is, it is already here. Contrary to expectation, though, it isn’t just a bunch of devices that have a chip and an internet connection.

The killer app of the Internet of Things isn’t a thing at all—it is services. And they are being delivered by an unlikely cast of characters: Uber Technologies Inc., SolarCity Corp., ADT Corp., and Comcast Corp., to name a few. One recent entrant: the Brita unit of Clorox Corp., which just introduced a Wi-Fi-enabled “smart” pitcher that can re-order its own water filters.

Source: The Internet of Things Is Here, and It Isn’t a Thing | WSJ

IoT is no longer a nascent dream. By 2020, IDC predicts there will be 30 billion connected ‘things’ and a revenue opportunity of $1.7 trillion for the ecosystem.

Global brands, such as Intel, have already announced significant changes to their business to focus on IoT, and as more devices “connect” the lines of autonomous provisioning, management and monitoring will continue to blur.

Putting the hype aside, one of the most important conversations to emerge lately relates to the tactical elements of IoT. What do organisations need to address in development to make this a successful technological shift?

Source: 4 fundamental practices in IoT software development | Information Age

The internet of things (IoT) is everywhere. It’s in our homes, cars, offices and most commonly around our wrists. It’s changing the way factories are run, how health care is delivered and how cities operate. With an estimated 5.5 million new “things” connected each day, and an expected 6.4 billion in circulation by the end of 2016, according to Gartner research, the IoT will increasingly become part of our lives. But with the IoT’s proliferation comes great responsibility. You cannot take the security of the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem for granted. Even the smallest, most minimally connected device must have the appropriate safeguards built in throughout its lifecycle. It’s time to focus on IoT security at the point of design to securely manage devices from inception through implementation. “The potential of IoT devices and sensors is enormous,” says Mike Eftimakis, IoT Product Manager at ARM. “However, if we fail to ensure the security of each device, it’s very likely that the exploitation of unguarded vulnerabilities will stop progress, preventing us from ever fully realizing that vast potential.” Here are Eftimakis’s tips for implementing IoT security within products.

Source: 12 Tips for Implementing IoT Security

To some, the idea of an appliance or a car getting connected to the Internet is as strange as the idea of a phone without physical keys was back in the day. It holds the promise of a future still unimaginable to the common folk, but one with nearly unlimited potential. Unfortunately, it also holds unprecedented danger: danger that could go far beyond the risk of smartphones or computers getting hacked. Because although it is terrible, and inconvenient, when online accounts and sensitive data get pilfered, the effects are still predominantly in the digital world.

When the Internet of Things goes bad, the danger to human lives becomes even more real.

Source: The Internet of Things will always be vulnerable | SlashGear