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Questioning the Internet of Things

Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 21, 2015

Forgetting for a moment about security risks associated with the rise of the Internet of Things—a world in which every imaginable device, from your TV and wireless music system to your refrigerator and sprinkler system, is online gathering and exchanging data—Forbes raises a thought-provoking question:

Is the IoT destined to be the Internet of Pointless Things as companies add connectivity to devices just because they can?

Author Theo Priestley illustrates his point with an example from the recent IFA electronics show where Samsung demonstrated a SmartThings hub that bids you farewell as you head off to work—that is, after you bid (via text) “good morning” to the SmartThings app.

Really? I’m trying to imagine a scenario where anyone would take that time to do such a thing. And, for those who do, let’s just say…uh, sorry you’re so lonely.

Caught up in the buzz and hype surrounding IoT, Priestley notes software and hardware companies often forget to ask a simple question: What value does Internet connectivity ultimately bring?

He also points to a 2014 Nielsen survey showing that well over half of the respondents had little interest in using “smart products” that don’t offer a reason for being and clear-cut value.

Another question: In a house of connected devices, what happens when the Internet goes out? I’m writing this in a Starbucks because my Internet stopped working yesterday morning. Service will be down until Comcast comes out and replaces the underground line running to my house. Hopefully, it will be restored today.

I’ll survive without being able to stream Pandora around the house and checking email on my laptop (I can do that on my phone) but Priestley wonders what happens when a sick or elderly person’s connected pill dispenser stops working. And then there are those security concerns, not to mention privacy. What happens when 50 billion devices are online in 2020 (Cisco)?

Read the Forbes story here.

Chime in and share your thoughts.

COMMENTS
germay0653's picture
Submitted by germay0653 on September 21, 2015 - 6:37am

What will marketing people come up with next, IoTS - Internet of The Stupid? I guess we're all "Marks" in some way but that term just reeks.

jnemesh's picture
Submitted by jnemesh on September 21, 2015 - 8:50am

Corporations are gearing up for IoT at an astounding pace. They want EVERYTHING to be connected...in the process, they are creating solutions for problems that don't really exist. Do you REALLY need (or want) your fridge to know what's inside and reorder milk for you automatically? Do you really need (or want) your microwave to be controllable from halfway across the world?

The biggest problem I can foresee is that every company wants THEIR OWN standard to be implemented. Some devices use ZWave, some use Zigbee, some use Wifi, some use Apple's protocol (which, of course, is incompatible with everyone else's products), some use Google's new protocol. Everyone wants to be the one in control. THIS will doom "IoT" faster than anything else...no one can agree on the standards!

The best "IoT" products are the ones that will let customers use their EXISTING gear, and communicate via a variety of interfaces...TCP/IP, RS-232, Zwave, etc. The best gear will allow for 3rd party control instead of insisting on proprietary standards.

As for internet connectivity...If your system is installed by a professional, your "smart home" will never simply "go down" because of an internet outage. At most, you will be restricted to controlling things locally and won't have the ability to communicate with the system when outside the home...but you should NEVER not be able to turn on the lights, or adjust the heating and cooling, or be able to play music that is on the local network!

In short, I don't have any faith whatsoever that home automation will ever become "mainstream" to the point where you can walk in a store, but everything you need, go home and get it all working yourself. There are too many obstacles to getting a reliable system working, with the ease of use that customers demand. This will remain a market that requires trained professional installation, programming, and support.

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