The Internet of Thing has increasingly transitioned from a buzzword to the reality, as more and more users enjoy the benefits it brings. In particular, homes and buildings have become smarter and more intelligent, thanks to the sensors and devices that are connected over the Internet, and networking equipment that makes this possible.
The Internet of Thing has increasingly transitioned from a buzzword to reality, as more and more users enjoy the benefits it brings. In particular, homes and buildings have become smarter and more intelligent, thanks to the sensors and devices that are connected over the Internet, and networking equipment that makes this possible.
That’s the message that NetBridge tried to get across at a Taipei security exhibition held by Messe Frankfurt. NetBridge is a distributor of networking equipment maker Netgear.
According to Tony Yang, Sales Supervisor at NetBridge, IoT has gone through an evolution. During its early stages, the sensors and gauges were merely used to measure temperatures, humidity, and other environment-related parameters. Now, IoT exists in the Big Data context whereby data generated by these sensors are further analyzed by analytics solutions, bringing greater intelligence and business optimization for end users across verticals.
These verticals, according to him, include manufacturing, whereby sensors and analytics work to help the end user in each step of the production process, from materials selection to the delivery of finished products.
Another vertical is healthcare. “Have you seen more and more people wearing wristbands that measure their bodily functions? This is already happening … where these devices are combined with analytics to let you know, for example, that based on your age and your blood pressure, there could be a health issue soon if you do not take remedial measures.”
But nowhere is IoT-driven intelligence more noticeable than in homes and buildings. “In the home arena, things have changed drastically. In the past you have to manually turn on the lights. But now you use your smartphones or iPads to do so,” he said. “Not just lights, but curtains and air conditioning are also connected as well.”
To enable this kind of automation, NetBridge has the solution, including Wi-Fi routers that interface with the smartphone as well as other smart home devices. In addition, the company also has IR detector-integrated home cams that activate once detecting someone at the door. The camera is wirelessly connected to a base station, which then transmits the signal to the gateway, which in turns sends the video to the cloud. The recording is done in the cloud via Amazon.com’s cloud service. The solutions are mostly for DIY users who can find them either on the Internet or at certain electronic stores.
As for buildings, they get smart thanks to, for instance, integration between access control and building management systems, both of which have more and more converged on the Internet. For that, NetBridge has commercial-grade PoE switches as well as industrial-grade ones, which are able to withstand various critical conditions and are specifically for factory or industrial settings. For these solutions, they are more project-based handled by installers and SIs.