ABSTRACT
Sensors are the start of the Internet of Things (IoT). Actuators are the end of the IoT. The starting data that permits IoT to exist comes from sensors. These sensors can be standard, they can be smart, or they can be manual. A standard sensor, like car’s gas gauge, senses one variable. A smart sensor detects multiple variables and makes decisions based on its readings. A manual sensor is like a light switch—human intervention is necessary. Based on the input from the sensors, decisions get made. The major parts of this decision-making consist of compute, storage, and networking elements. The compute elements do the actual processing of data, similar to personal computer, and do so with the same architecture as common computers. Services are the software side of IoT that manage the infrastructure; guide the decision-making; and provide scalability, adaptability, portability, and automation.
