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Temperature sensors are used to measure the thermal characteristics of gases, liquids, and solids in many process industries and are configured for both general- and special-purpose uses. More information about temperature sensors may be found in our related guide All About Temperature Sensors. Contact sensors refer to any type of sensing device that functions to detect a condition by relying on physical touch or contact between the sensor and the object being observed or monitored. A simple type of contact sensor is used in alarm systems to monitor doors, windows, and other access points. When the door or window is closed, a magnetic switch provides an indication to the alarm control unit so that the status of that entry point is known. Similarly, when a door or window is opened, the contact sensor alerts the alarm controller of the state of that access point and may trigger an action such as engaging an audible siren.

Traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation , and others all contribute to enabling the Internet of things. With regard to business, the IoT provide several important benefits including the ability to access and analyse data, removing the need to external data analysts or market researchers. The IoT is able to cope with big data analytics in real time, demonstrating how products and services are performing in the real world, and creating a situation where improvements can be made rapidly. This data also opens up a better understanding of customer behaviours so that businesses can meet their needs while also reducing operating costs by managing energy usage and resources. Finally, the Internet of Things can enable remote working by collating and sharing data with employees regardless of where they are based.

The devices do most of the work without human intervention, although people can interact with the devices -- for instance, to set them up, give them instructions or access the data. Using its RPMA technology, San Diego-based Ingenu has built a nationwide public network for low-bandwidth data transmissions using the same unlicensed 2.4 gigahertz spectrum as Wi-Fi. Ingenu's "Machine Network" covers more than a third of the US population across 35 major cities including San Diego and Dallas. French company, Sigfox, commenced building an Ultra Narrowband wireless data network in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2014, the first business to achieve such a deployment in the U.S.

What Is The Internet Of Things?

The round-trip time for sending data, processing it, analyzing it and returning instructions can take too long. In such cases edge-computing can come into play, where a smart edge device can aggregate data, analyze it and fashion responses if necessary, all within relatively close physical distance, thereby reducing delay. Edge devices also have upstream connectivity for sending data to be further processed and stored. A world of omnipresent connected devices and sensors is one of the oldest tropes of science fiction. But the term Internet of Things was coined in 1999 by British technologist Kevin Ashton.

This can cause a propagation delay that affects network performance and may affect proper function. As a result, many network architectures limit the number of repeaters used in a network, e.g., the Ethernet rule. For example, Akamai Technologies manages an overlay network that provides reliable, efficient content delivery .

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Amazon Web Services IoT is a cloud computing platform for IoT released by Amazon. This framework is designed to enable smart devices to easily connect and securely interact with the AWS cloud and other connected devices. LiteOS supports smartphones,wearables, intelligent manufacturing applications, smart homes and the internet of vehicles .

The IoT can benefit the construction industry by cost-saving, time reduction, better quality workday, paperless workflow and increase in productivity. It can help in taking faster decisions and save money with Real-Time Data Analytics. It can also be used for scheduling repair and maintenance activities in an efficient manner, by coordinating tasks between different service providers and users of these facilities. IoT devices can also be used to control critical infrastructure like bridges to provide access to ships. Usage of IoT devices for monitoring and operating infrastructure is likely to improve incident management and emergency response coordination, and quality of service, up-times and reduce costs of operation in all infrastructure related areas.

IoT can also make use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid in making data collecting processes easier and more dynamic. Google Glass is essentially a small, lightweight computer that is worn like a pair of eyeglasses for hands-free work. The information is presented within the “lenses” of the glasses, which can access a variety of Internet applications, including Google Maps and Gmail. In industrial settings, workers often use them to pull up blueprints or product specifications.