A Clearing Picture of the Internet of Things

Ron Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, Altera Corporation

By now most systems designers have a mental picture of the Internet of Things (IoT): an idea of its structure and its purpose. Unfortunately, this picture is likely to be wrong in both aspects. Judging by keynotes at ARM Techcon 2013, both the structure and function of the IoT are evolving in directions that neither the coiners of the phrase nor most observers have expected.

The conventional view of the IoT is as the name suggests. You gather up the objects you want to measure – your thermostat, light switches, motion detectors, garage door, and so on – let’s call them the Things; assign them Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and give them tiny Internet interfaces. Then you can control all of your Things remotely through smart phone apps. This is a pleasantly convenient and self-contained notion, but it is quite different from the emerging reality.

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