IoT or Internet of Things is a trending topic today and can be heard on the lips of every techie. It is a common thing that many individuals use and their entire day-to-day life depends on it. In this blog, we will be discussing the pros and cons of Internet of Things(IoT).
Zillions of devices are interconnected in the IoT ecosystem. Surprisingly, we humans never realized that these devices virtually surround us in inter-human or machine-to-machine interaction.
But, yes, they never realize that this is what we call an IoT.
The ubiquity of wireless networks has possibly turned on everything. Be it a child’s toy or a driverless truck, all this is an example of IoT that has merged the digital and physical universe.
Statista reports that the installed base of active IoT-connected devices is forecast to reach 21.5 billion units by the year 2025. Apart from all the path-breaking discoveries, there are several pros and cons of Internet of Things(IoT).
Here, we will see the captivating benefits and features that IoT provides to its users, along with the cons affecting the users simultaneously. Let’s go through the pros and cons of the Internet of Things(IoT).
Table of Contents
Pros and Cons of Internet of Things(IoT)
|
Pros |
Cons |
| Easy Access | Complexity |
| Wireless technologies turn cities into smart cities | Compatibility |
| Eases Communication | Privacy or Security |
| Saves Money | Lesser Employment |
| Business Benefits | Technology Takes Control of Life |
| Increased Productivity | Addiction to Technology |
Pros of IoT
The Internet of Things(IoT) has passed through several major transformations and has upgraded itself with time. Some of the major pros of IoT are:
1. Easy Access
IoT is open to several uses that make life easier. It benefits the users as it operates in real-time, giving users an improved experience with smart solutions. All you need is a smartphone with internet connectivity.
Imagine your entire daily life is connected with devices and controlled by technology. How easier your life would be?
IoT-enabled devices inform you about the status of your groceries or other necessities through text messages or other communication means. For example- your refrigerator identifies that your milk stock has finished and texts you regarding the same.
Seriously, it makes our life way easier.
Suppose your alarm rings at six o’clock in the morning and you being lazy, switch it off. When doing so, it will connect with the geyser and heat the water at the desired temperature. At the same time, it will instruct the coffee maker to start brewing the coffee, all without waking you up.
Also Read: IoT in Manufacturing – Use-Cases, Benefits and Challenges
2. Wireless technology turns cities into Smart Cities
IoT-enabled devices ensure that electricity is not wasted as they automate its operation and involve minimal human interference. It automatically switches off street lights in daylight and switches them on during the onset of darkness.
With the help of IoT devices, you can monitor the vibrations of buildings, bridges, and monuments in case they are overloaded. These are the perfect examples of IoT in smart cities. Hospitals and schools can control noise pollution around them and maintain peace all around.
Also Read: Top 12 Emerging IoT Technologies
3. Eases Communication
IoT encourages Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication (communication between devices) and allows you to control and automate taxes daily.
A CISCO report suggested that machine-to-machine connections supporting IoT applications account for more than half the 27.1 billion devices and connections.
4. Saves Money
A DHL report suggests that IoT will help businesses save their production costs on a large scale. Effective communication between electronic appliances would conserve and save both cost and energy.
By allowing the data to be shared and communicated between electronic devices and then translating it in our required way, IoT is making our systems efficient.
5. Business Benefits
IoT will help you explore new business opportunities with samples of data from your top customers. It collects data from the network and uses advanced analytics to uncover business insights and opportunities.
IoT devices predict your customer’s needs and help you analyze the collected data. It results in exploring new avenues for work and generating new revenue pipelines.
6. Increased Productivity
Productivity plays a key role in the profitability of any business. IoT offers just-in-time employee training, improves labor efficiency, and reduces mismatch of skills while increasing organizational productivity. Eventually, we end up with much more time on our hands.
While these are benefits of IoT, you must also put your eye on the cons of IoT and see how they affect you in the real world.
Cons of IoT
Let’s go through the disadvantages of IoT:
1. Complexity
The technical advancements and improved user experience of IoT have drawbacks. Suppose you and your friend got a message that the milk packet has expired. So, in this case, both of you will purchase a milk packet.
This makes the entire process a bit complicated. To make this process a bit easy, it would be a wise option that you register or connect only one of your numbers with the IoT-enabled device.
2. Compatibility
Millions and billions of devices are connected in the IoT ecosystem; however, all the devices are built by different manufacturers, which raises the issue of compatibility in tagging and monitoring.
All the manufacturers can’t build on a common standard. Though Bluetooth can connect different devices, it faces several compatibility issues regarding optimum IoT device application.
This compatibility issue may force the buyers or users to buy devices from a specific manufacturer which may create a monopoly in the market.
3. Privacy or Security
There is a risk of losing privacy in data transmitted through IoT devices. You need to see how well is the encryption of data. Due to IoT’s rapid growth, it faces security and privacy issues.
IoT devices connected to your desktop or laptops increase the risk of leaking the customers’ personal information while the data is being collected and transmitted from the IoT device.
4. Lesser Employment or Menial Staff
IoT is expanding across the globe, which may result in replacing monotonous and unsafe jobs and firing off unskilled professionals. All of this may create unemployment issues in society.
With IoT, daily activities are getting automated, and naturally, there will be fewer requirements for human resources and less educated staff. Hence, mastering new ways of working will increase or stable the chances of a person’s employability.
5. Technology Takes Control of Life
IoT has impacted the lives of almost every individual in every way possible. Everyone has become addicted to technology for their day-to-day minute activities, be it the older or younger generation.
With the help of IoT, this dependency will become even more in daily routines. No application is free from fault, and there are some hitches in each technical application. Relying on IoT devices may create trouble in case of a non-working or crash of an IoT infrastructure.
So, where will IoT take you next?
While IoT has made our life easier and smarter since its inception, we can not overlook its cons. It is time we looked over how to combat its disadvantages and tap on the right points to make this technology work the best for you.
How wisely you control your living and working environment amid the IoT-enabled smart products is up to you. And at the same time, you can not ignore the cons of IoT.
Keep these things in mind: get your IoT app developed by the top IoT application development companies in India who can create secure and scalable mobile apps per the customers’ specific requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Internet of Things?
The IoT interconnects and equips our everyday objects with some kind of intelligence. It opts for electronic communication and shares specific data according to the requirement. It combines physical and digital components that create new products for a smart user experience.
2. Why invest in the internet of things?
Investment in IoT helps in the below-given managements:
- Smart Street Lighting
- Smart Waste Management
- Smart parking
- Smart traffic management
- Underground waste management system
3. What is the technology featured in the trend known as the internet of things?
It is embedded in computers which are featured in the trend known as the internet of things.
4. How does IoT work?
The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of all the web-enabled devices that collect, send and act on data they gain from their surrounding environments with the help of embedded sensors, processors, and communication hardware.
5. What are the pros and cons of IoT?
The pros of IoT include easy access, smart cities, increased productivity, ease of communication, and money-saving. The cons of IoT include complexity, compatibility, privacy concerns, lesser employment, and technology addiction.
The writer gave a properly balanced view of IoT with all its advantages and disadvantages. I appreciate the way it’s explained in such a simplified manner. We really should be careful with Technology in order to avoid any unprecedented disaster in future.