Three obstacles affecting the popularization of IoT

January 5 News, according to foreign media reports, whether wearable equipment, home automation, or machine-machine communications, Internet of Things will change the world around us.

Gartner predicts that 2020 will increase the number of IoT devices to 26 billion. The growth of the internet of things, and the growing demand for consumer lifestyles that always live online, have made startups and big companies bullish on the field of IoT. It also spawned a number of networked devices-including cycleat, such as pressure sensors, vessyl and other intelligent water cups.

However, the internet of Things is not limited to novelty products, it also involves existing products and industries. "Internet of Things is not a product, but a feature that should be integrated into most products," said Gary Shapiro, president of the nonprofit Consumer Electronics Association. ”

While many people believe that wider connectivity is a natural advance in the current technology world, there are still factors impeding the mass popularity of Internet of things among consumers. Shapiro says there are three major factors impeding the arrival of a truly interconnected world.

1. Privacy concerns

IoT devices typically monitor and track consumer behavior to tailor and improve consumer experience. But with the increasing popularity of IoT devices, consumers are beginning to worry about privacy and security. Shapiro said, "People are worried that the device will be attacked on the internet, or be arbitrarily accessed by other users." ”

This is a double-edged sword: the Internet of things requires different devices to interoperate and communicate, but this pattern brings a lot of "portals" in which the system and its data may be compromised.

Shapiro that consumers will eventually be connected to the Internet, "there will be some people for privacy and security reasons unwilling to make their devices online, but with security improvements, they will be only a minority." ”

Shapiro points out that the ability of IoT devices to operate in a user-friendly manner will attract consumers, "the ability to control all equipment will ultimately win people's approval."

2. Ownership of data

Another hurdle that affects the popularity of IoT is the ownership of the vast amount of information collected by sensors on users and IoT devices. "Data ownership will cause contention," Shapiro said.

For example, wearable devices for health are growing very quickly and can collect data about what users eat, drink, do (for example, exercise), and weight. But who owns the data? Is it a consumer or a company that makes wearable equipment, or is it a third party?

Data also have the opportunity to better share among agencies. General Motors, for example, collects massive amounts of data through its OnStar subsidiaries. Shapiro explains, "GM can show on the map whether GM OnStar customers have a problem at some point in the day." ”

While the data is now being used by general engineers to improve the safety of automobiles, other agencies can benefit from it. For example, Shapiro envisages that municipal organizations might be able to use this data to improve road safety.

By competition, regulation, ethics, and many other factors, sharing what data, when and how to share data is an annoying issue.

Shapiro that a solution might be a better fusion platform to help consumers and businesses more efficiently use the vast amounts of data collected by devices. He said that skilled data scientists would be needed to understand all the data collected by IoT devices, and "one of the most current jobs is data scientists, especially those who can analyze cloud data."

3. Spectrum problem

Shapiro points out that another problem affecting the popularity of IoT is the growing spectrum demand.

Internet of things mainly uses Bluetooth, WiFi and other technology, they rely on the increasingly stretched without license spectrum. In a report, the Consumer Electronics Association said the number of devices using these technologies grew by 30% per cent a year in 2011-2016.

Regulators, technology makers and other institutions are introducing innovative products, technologies and strategies to better address these issues.

Since joining the American Consumer Electronics Association in 1979, Shapiro has witnessed advances in many areas of technology, and he believes that the shape and scale of the internet of things will experience the same development as other technologies, "the scale of the Internet will be quite large, but no one knows its size."

(Responsible editor: Mengyishan)