Standards

IoT solutions can be implemented for a wide range of applications that scale from a single device to massive cross-platform deployments of embedded technologies and cloud systems connecting in real time. Tying them all together may require supporting numerous legacy and emerging communication protocols that allow devices and servers to communicate with each other.

This diversity of technology and communication protocols, and the lack of standards, introduces a major challenge. In the absence of well-defined industry standards, most IoT solutions use proprietary technology. These proprietary technologies may work very well independently, but they may not always work well when inter-connecting with each other.

What differentiates a smart device from its regular version is its ability to communicate with other devices so that multiple smart devices can work in tandem to provide a seamless solution. Such interaction is possible only if there is a common language that all the devices in a given IoT ecosystem would be able to use.

The lack of standards makes this communication between devices very difficult.

This leads to problems from a user adoption perspective. In a smart home, for example, a homeowner would not like to have multiple control systems for each set of devices and appliances but would prefer a single control system. While standards are slowly evolving, it may take a while, and until, then IoT solutions are more likely to be in more contained environments such as homes and factories. Once standards evolve into solutions that can become more expansive and connect across industries and functions, they are evolving into a true Internet of Things.