BH IoT Group co-founder Steve Brumer was interviewed by Gino Villarini of AeroNet, a leading Wireless ISP, LoRa IoT and CBRS provider in Puerto Rico. They talked about 5G, IoT technologies, IoT services, the current global health crisis, and what’s happening next in the industry. Here is a brief overview of their conversation.
IoT Technologies 101
IoT services can be boiled down to simply if/then statements through machine to machine. For example, if a temperature sensor senses that the temperature is rising, it sends an alert through the cloud or internet wirelessly to a back end that says to turn on the fan.
Machine to Machine: 5G and IoT Technologies
The 5G network is being developed to deliver a large amount of data content to phones and products with low latency and high bandwidth needs. 5G and IoT will play a huge role for self-driving vehicles and road traffic sensors that need high accuracy and low latency.
The integration and migration of 5G and IoT services is still years away in North America. The IoT radio modules are here but more expensive than LTE/CatM and the application use cases are being copied from the deployments in Asia.
Where is IoT today?
For consumers, the basic use cases are in the home operating machine to machine. Many people today have Nest thermostats, Ring doorbells, smart locks, sensors for CO2 and carbon monoxide. There are even devices to detect water leakage from the water heater or gas levels and usage of the propane tank. All of this is being monitored by mobile apps.
Businesses and enterprise is where we are seeing and can expect to see explosive growth in the machine to machine industry. What’s exciting is the capability for disruptive technology. New IoT technologies, products, devices and software apps are emerging every day. The other exciting thing is the value of data being collected. Right now, there is so much data to analyze, we are only able to handle a small portion of it. Finding out how to analyze more of the data, faster, and make it useful to the data’s owner is how we succeed with IoT in the future.
IoT and Coronavirus
With the current global pandemic, tracking syringes and vaccines will become a requirement. By tracing them from manufacturer to patient, keeping the vaccine within the required temperature range, we can make sure everyone gets the proper dosage within the required time and so we can recover from this disease and move into a healthier world.
Privacy Concerns
As people get more used to their information being collected machine to machine, they are relaxing about privacy concerns. However, there is still a lot of pushback so we might never have the same restrictions as other countries.
IoT security must be part of the discussion around privacy.
The Future of IoT Technology
The IoT services industry is set for explosive growth. There are more applications, products, and solutions than ever before. They are also easier to deploy than ever before. And these new offerings are allowing companies to bring IoT technology in house. However, understanding how to integrate the technology is critical. We have to do a better job of educating clients, vendors, and customers. We also need to manage security concerns, not just the privacy over collecting data. We have to ensure the data that’s collected is safe from cyberattacks.
Interesting Emerging IoT Technologies
Technologies that solve customer’s problems at a reasonable price are the most interesting. For example, a Bluetooth sensor with a 20 mile range can be used for rural areas, traffic sensors can help us avoid gridlocks during rush hour, and gunshot sensors help reduce crime rates. IoT in healthcare is more needed today than last year. The emerging Covid-related IoT products and services have taken over our industry and that is a great thing.
Advice for the Future
For business people looking to get into IoT, now is the best time. Today, you can find everything you need to successfully deploy an IoT solution in your company. This includes sensors, gateways, EDGE computing devices, applications, and platforms; partners for integration, installation, and monitoring; and networks like LoRa and wireless IoT carriers. It’s still complicated, and you’ll still need help, but it’s possible.
On the consumer side, smart homes are going to become commonplace. From propane tanks being monitored, to water meters being looked at, you’ll be able to give your home a better sense of security and manage it all yourself.
Learn More
Get more details about their conversation by watching the video, above. To get in touch with BH IoT Group, please call Steve Brumer at 404-641-7612 or send a message online.