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Wednesday
Jul102013

Slow to Arrive: Internet of Things

http://www.william-garrity.com/blog/tag/internetofthings.) 

Brian Proffitt in ReadWrite on why the "internet of things" has been slow to take off -- 

What's Holding Up The Internet Of Things

Turns out our smart devices don't actually know that much about talking to one another, and that's a problem.

June 14, 2013

The Internet of Things - in which ordinary objects get smart and connected, making possible all sorts of new services - promises to give us smarter cities, fewer traffic jams, a cleaner environment and a Series victory for the Cubs. (OK, maybe not that last one.)

Trouble is, while lots of technologists and technophiles talk about the Internet of Things as if it were already here, there really isn't any such thing. Not in any true sense of the term.

To be sure, there are plenty of smart gadgets out there that are wired up and broadcasting data to other devices - home alarms, for instance. Cameras. Heat sensors and hydrometers. But as you might have already noticed, we're still a long way from the day when your refrigerator sees that you're out of milk and orders a new gallon, or when your suitcase checks your calendar for out-of-town meetings and makes sure your travel clothes have been washed and folded. 

Here's why.

The reasons are -- see the story for more -- 

  • No common communication protocol(s) 
  • Too many, separate subnetworks 
  • Too much variation in communication protocols 
  • There aren't necessarily incentives to communicate 

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