Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a scenario in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human interaction.

mesh network topology (mesh network) - A mesh network is a network in which devices -- or nodes -- are linked together, branching off other devices or nodes.
micro-location - Micro-location is the process of pinpointing a person's placement to within a few inches or feet using various technologies.
microcomputer - A microcomputer is a complete computer on a smaller scale and is generally a synonym for the more common term, personal computer or PC, a computer designed for an individual.
microcontroller (MCU) - A microcontroller is a compact integrated circuit designed to govern a specific operation in an embedded system.
Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit - Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a free utility IT can use to determine whether its infrastructure is prepared for a migration to a new operating system, server version or cloud-based deployment.
MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport) - MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight open messaging protocol that provides resource-constrained network clients with a simple way to distribute telemetry information in low-bandwidth environments.
N+1 UPS - N+1, also called parallel redundancy, is a safeguard to ensure that an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)system is always available.
narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) - Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is a wireless internet of things (IoT) protocol that uses low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology.
Nest Labs - Nest Labs was a home automation specialist company that produced programmable Wi-Fi-enabled products that can be remotely controlled through a Web service or an associated smart home app.
network slicing - Network slicing is a technique that creates multiple virtual networks on top of a shared physical network to provide greater flexibility in the use and allocation of network resources.
no-fly zone - A no-fly zone is a restricted area of airspace over a landmark, event or geographic region in which aircraft are forbidden to fly, unless they have special authorization.
North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) - The North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) plan is a set of standards aimed at regulating, enforcing, monitoring and managing the security of the Bulk Electric System (BES) in North America.
ohm - The ohm is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI).
operational technology (OT) - Operational technology (OT) is a category of hardware and software that monitors and controls how physical devices perform.
passive sensor - Passive sensor technologies gather target data through the detection of vibrations, light, radiation, heat or other phenomena occurring in the subject’s environment.
peak-to-peak (pk-pk) - Peak-to-peak (pk-pk) is the difference between the highest and the lowest values in a waveform.
pegged cryptocurrency - A pegged cryptocurrency is a cryptocurrency whose value is linked to a specific bank-issued currency, financial instrument or tradable commodity.
pervasive computing (ubiquitous computing) - Pervasive computing, also called ubiquitous computing, is the growing trend of embedding computational capability (generally in the form of microprocessors) into everyday objects to make them effectively communicate and perform useful tasks in a way that minimizes the end user's need to interact with computers as computers.
point of care (POC) testing - Point of care testing (POC testing or POCT) is medical testing performed with the patient, outside of a laboratory setting.
polarity - Polarity is when an entity contains two distinct and opposite poles that can either attract or repel each other.
polarization (wave polarization) - Polarization, also called wave polarization, is an expression of the orientation of the lines of electric flux in an electromagnetic field (EM field).
Power over Ethernet (PoE) - Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology for implementing wired Ethernet local area networks (LANs) that enables the electrical current necessary for operating each device to be carried by Ethernet data cables instead of standard electrical power cords and wiring.
precision agriculture - Precision agriculture (PA) is a farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter- and intra-field variability in crops.
remote sensing - Remote sensing is the use of various technologies to make observations and measurements at a target that is usually at a distance or scale beyond those observable to the naked eye.
RFID (radio frequency identification) - RFID (radio frequency identification) is a form of wireless communication that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal or person.
RFID tagging - RFID tagging uses small radio frequency identification devices to track and identify objects.
robotic process automation (RPA) - Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that mimics the way humans interact with software to perform high-volume, repeatable tasks.
SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) - SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a category of software application program for process control, the gathering of data in real time from remote locations in order to control equipment and conditions.
sensor - A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
sensor data - Sensor data is the output of a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
smart bulb (smart light bulb) - A smart bulb is a networked LED light bulb that has additional features to enable automation, presence-sensing capabilities and customization.
smart city - A smart city is a municipality that uses information and communication technologies (ICT) to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public and improve both the quality of government services and citizen welfare.
smart farming - Smart farming is a management concept focused on providing the agricultural industry with the infrastructure to leverage advanced technology – including big data, the cloud and the internet of things (IoT) – for tracking, monitoring, automating and analyzing operations.
smart home - A smart home is a residence that uses internet-connected devices to enable the remote monitoring and management of appliances and systems, such as lighting and heating.
smart home app (home automation app) - A smart home app, sometimes referred to as a home automation app or a smart home automation app, is an application used to remotely control and manage connected non-computing devices in the home, typically from a smartphone or tablet.
smart home hub (home automation hub) - A smart home hub is hardware or software that connects devices on a home automation network and controls communications among them.
smart sensor - A smart sensor is a device that takes input from the physical environment and uses built-in compute resources to perform predefined functions upon detection of specific input and then processes data before passing it on.
smart streetlight - A smart streetlight is a public lighting fixture that incorporates technology, such as cameras, light-sensing photocells and other sensors, to introduce real-time monitoring functionalities.
smart TV - A smart TV is a television that includes an internal processor and onboard storage and enables internet connectivity, similar to a smartphone or personal computer.
smart warehouse - A smart warehouse is a large building in which raw materials and manufactured goods are stored that uses machines and computers to complete common warehouse operations previously performed by humans.
smartwatch - A smartwatch is a wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other time-keeping device.
spatial computing - Spatial computing broadly characterizes the processes and tools used to capture, process and interact with three-dimensional (3D) data.
Splunk - Splunk Inc. is a San Francisco-based multinational company whose software platform indexes machine data, and makes it searchable so it can be turned into actionable intelligence.
supervised learning - Supervised learning is an approach to creating artificial intelligence (AI) where a computer algorithm is trained on input data that has been labeled for a particular output.
supply chain transformation - Supply chain transformation is the addition and integration of technology to improve supply chain performance, optimize costs and mitigate risks.
surge suppressor (surge protector) - A surge suppressor, sometimes optimistically called a surge protector, is a device inserted in the alternating current (AC) utility line and/or telephone line to prevent damage to electronic equipment from voltage spikes, or transients.
susceptance - Susceptance (symbolized B) is an expression of the ease with which alternating current (AC) passes through a capacitance or inductance.
system-on-a-chip (SoC) - System-on-a-chip (SoC) technology is the packaging of all the necessary electronic circuits and parts for a "system" (such as a cell phone or digital camera) on a single integrated circuit (IC), generally known as a microchip.
technological convergence - Technological convergence is a term that describes bringing previously unrelated technologies together, often in a single device.
telehealth (telemedicine) - Telehealth, also referred to as telemedicine or e-medicine, is the remote delivery of healthcare services over the telecommunications infrastructure.
thing (in the internet of things) - A thing, in the context of the internet of things (IoT), refers to any entity or physical object such as a device that forms a network and has the ability to transfer data with other devices over the network.
transponder - A transponder is a wireless communication, monitoring or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal.
true power - True power is the power manifested in tangible form such as electromagnetic radiation, acoustic waves, or mechanical phenomena.
tvOS - TvOS is the operating system that runs on the 4th and 5th generation Apple TV digital media player.
unique identifier (UID) - A unique identifier (UID) is a numeric or alphanumeric string that is associated with a single entity within a given system.
unsupervised learning - Unsupervised learning is a type of machine learning (ML) technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to identify patterns in data sets that are neither classified nor labeled.
VeriChip - VeriChip is an injectable identification chip that can be inserted under the skin of a human being to provide biometric verification.
volt per meter (V/m) - Volt per meter is the standard unit of electric field (E field) strength.
volt-ampere (VA) - A volt-ampere (VA) is a measurement of power in a direct current (DC) electrical circuit.
wearable computer - A wearable computer is any small technological device capable of storing and processing data that can be worn on the body.
webOS - WebOS is an LG-owned, Linux-based operating system for smart devices, particularly smart TVs.
What is fog computing? - Fog computing is a decentralized computing infrastructure in which data, compute, storage and applications are located somewhere between the data source and the cloud.
Windows Embedded - Windows Embedded is Microsoft’s embedded operating systems product group.
wireless access point - A wireless access point (wireless AP) is a network device that transmits and receives data over a wireless local area network (WLAN), serving as the interconnection point between the WLAN and a fixed wire network.
Z-Wave - Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol used primarily in smart home networks, allowing smart devices to connect and exchange control commands and data with each other.
Zigbee - Zigbee is a standards-based wireless technology developed to enable low-cost, low-power wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) and internet of things (IoT) networks.