IOT Applications: A Complete Overview with Best Application Examples

IoT Applications Examples

We live in an era where you can remotely control and manage your home and office with IOT application devices. IoT applications have made all this possible, be it controlling your home devices or kitchen appliances to manage the security systems, cars, or baby monitors.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly transforming how we live and work, connecting devices and machines to the Internet and allowing them to communicate and exchange data.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of connected devices or physical objects embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies. The software and sensors enable transmitting and exchanging information between these devices over the internet. Thus, exchanging information between devices requires little or no human interaction.

How is IoT changing our lives?

The IoT is changing the way we live by linking everyday objects to the Internet. This gives these devices the ability to talk with one another and exchange data with one another. There are several ways in which this technology might drastically improve human life. 

The IoT is making our lives easier and more comfortable in many ways, from smart homes that automate chores and increase energy efficiency to wearable gadgets that keep tabs on our health.

IoT devices are facilitating the following-

• Remote patient monitoring
• Increasing diagnostics
• Facilitating more individualized healthcare.
• Smart cities improve traffic flow, reduce waste, and increase security. 
• Simplify operations
• Monitor the functioning of equipment
• Increase production

Precision farming is made possible by the Internet of Things, improving agricultural output by maximizing the use of available resources.

Also read, Advantages of Custom Software Development

What Are the Internet of Things Applications?

Applications of the Internet of Things may be found in many different industries, such as smart homes, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, and industrial automation. By allowing real-time monitoring, control, and analysis of devices and systems, these apps make it possible to achieve higher levels of efficiency and convenience while also automating more tasks. Smart thermostats, wearable health monitors, precision farming, networked automobiles, and predictive maintenance in manufacturing are some examples of IoT applications.

Future of Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) has a promising future that has the potential to drastically change many facets of our everyday lives. Some major developments and opportunities are as follows:

• Better Communication

More and more devices will join the IoT, expanding existing networks and facilitating easy two-way dialogue between gadgets and computer systems. As a result, it will be easier to work together, share information, and communicate. 

• Edge Computing 

The increasing number of connected devices means that data will increasingly be processed at the network’s periphery, or “edge.” By limiting the amount of data sent to the cloud, edge computing helps speed up responses, increase security, and decrease latency.

• Artificial Intelligence 

THE INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL MAY BE UNLOCKED when AI is combined with the Internet of Things. Insights, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making may all be gleaned from massive volumes of IoT data using AI algorithms.

• Specific Uses in Various Industries

The Internet of Things will further transform the healthcare, industrial, agricultural, transportation, and energy sectors. We may expect to see innovations like energy-efficient energy management systems, smart industries, driverless cars, precision agriculture, and remote patient monitoring.

• Improved Privacy and Safety

Security and privacy must be prioritized as the number of Internet-connected devices grows. IoT networks and data security will rely heavily on developments in authentication, encryption, and blockchain technology.

• Smart Cities 

The Internet of Things will help advance the concept of “smart cities,” in which disparate technologies and services are integrated to improve urban life. Examples may include public safety and environmental monitoring, smart energy grids, and transportation networks.

• Effects on the Environment and Sustainability

The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to significantly contribute to sustainability by facilitating more effective resource management, decreasing energy usage, and keeping tabs on the state of the environment. Applications of the Internet of Things that contribute to a greener future include smart buildings, energy-efficient technologies, and smart grids.

Also read, How to Hire The Best Mobile App Development Company

Here is the list of Best (IoT) Applications List

IoT technology has brought revolutionary changes in almost every sector, including health care, manufacturing, retail, energy, agriculture, and more.

1. IOT Based Smart Agriculture Solution

Agriculture is one of the biggest sectors of India, and the growing population has put added pressure on agriculture. So, integrating IoT with agriculture will help farmers cultivate better and on a larger scale. 

IoT sensors provide details of soil chemistry and fertilizer profiles. For example, CO2 levels, moisture, temperature, acidity, and nutrients. Thus, farmers can find how good the soil is for a particular harvest. 

Smart irrigation is another IoT-based application that helps farmers to use water efficiently for farming. The IoT application checks the dryness and moisture levels of soil and initiates water flow accordingly. If the soil reaches a certain moisture level, it stops the water flow and starts the water flow if the soil dryness reaches below a certain level. Thus, it helps in the optimal utilization of water for irrigation. 

Livestock Tracking

IoT applications are extremely useful in solving the issues faced by the livestock industry. For example, animals eat unhealthy things like plastic and fall sick, have no track of livestock, or lost animals. The IoT chips enable farmers to keep a close eye on livestock. They can keep track of their location, vaccination details, and other vitals. 

BENEFITS OF AN IOT-ENABLED LIVESTOCK MONITORING SYSTEM

IoT-enabled livestock monitoring helps check and keep track of all the animals remotely and also provides information on every animal on the farm. 

The key benefits of monitoring livestock using IoT are

• Monitor the health of livestock in real-time and treat animals and prevent the spread of disease.
• Track grazing animals and monitor grazing patterns and avoid unhealthy eating. 
• Gather and analyze data for cattle health & optimize breeding practices.

2. IoT Applications in Healthcare

The pandemic opened our eyes to a greater need for technological advancement in healthcare. The IoT-based applications filled that technological gap and enabled consumers and patients to connect remotely. The IoT application involves attaching sensors to a patient’s room. It allows doctors to monitor them remotely by sending continuous data and also alerts the doctor of abnormal parameters. Thus, doctors can monitor at-risk patients like the elderly and patients with chronic diseases.

• IoT applications help streamline patient medical records by making real-time data available across departments. In addition, the data collected in real-time also helps in medical research.
• IoT apps optimize the manufacturing process and also help in intelligent inventory management. It, thus, helps in lowering drug costs. 

3. IoT in Wearables

The Internet of Things is highly utilized in wearable technology like smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart eyewear, and linked fabric. Wearables have multiple functionalities including tracking locations, showing reminders, tracking physical activity, and more. 

Here are the use cases of IoT in wearables

• Wearables help fitness lovers to track their activity during workouts like running or cycling. Smartwatches and fitness bands are great examples. 
• Wearables help track locations; for example, parents can keep track of their children, or caretakers keep track of the elderly. 
• Wearables also enable reading text messages and sending reminders and alerts. 
• Nano-sensors help predict possible risk conditions like cancer. Also, wearables help monitor and track sleep patterns for a healthier lifestyle. 

4. IoT in Hospitality

Another hard-hit sector during the pandemic was the hospitality sector. Hygiene, safety, and social distancing made it tough for the hospitality sector to attract customers to the hotels or restaurants. IoT played a major role as the savior in this situation. Hospitals and restaurants use IoT to automate tasks like check-in and check-out.

For instance, mobile electronic keys eliminate manual check-in using physical keys. The electronic keys automate the check-in process and help the restaurant staff keep track of the guest’s location. Guests can request room service and housekeeping using smartphones. 

In addition, smart lighting and appliances enhance the customer experience and also help maintain hygiene. All these applications help maintain social distancing and avoid contact. 

5. IoT in the Retail Sector

IoT in retail helps business owners automate operations and provide better and more efficient customer experiences. The use cases of IoT in retail include, 

• Product and staff tracking in real-time.
• Gather and analyze customer data and monitor shopping patterns to know their preferences for personalized marketing campaigns. 
• Efficient inventory management. 

6. IoT for Smart Greenhouse

Greenhouse automation is finding its way to more consumers for personal use. For example, automatic fans and heaters, computer-controlled watering systems, and fertilizers are available for commercial gardens and domestic greenhouses. The smart greenhouse uses microclimate with automated systems for light and water to raise crops. Smart sensors and monitoring systems help monitor and control all parameters. The different types of sensors available for smart greenhouses are:

• Humidity sensors
• Temperature sensors
• Soil moisture sensors
• Light sensors
• Soil PH Sensors
• Air quality sensors
• Carbon dioxide sensors

IoT devices with smart sensors handle the greenhouse environment. The greenhouse requires special attention with electric power supplies and sensors sensitive to water splashes, sunlight, and humidity. 

7. Internet of Things for Smart City

Smart cities use IoT technology to improve urban infrastructure and make living in cities more efficient. The IoT-based apps also help maintain environmental sustainability. A smart city uses sensors integrated with different places, like lamp posts or antennae, to manage and monitor the functioning of a city. 

• IoT for Traffic Management: Sensors on traffic signals analyze traffic and send the data to officials enabling them to know the peak hours and traffic patterns. Thus, it helps them create effective solutions to mitigate traffic efficiently. In addition, this data helps commuters to avoid traffic and choose alternative routes. For example, we use Google Maps to find optimal routes and avoid traffic. 
• IoT for Pollution Monitoring: IoT sensors help gather data about air pollution. The data measures temperature, CO2 levels, smoke, and humidity. Smart cities use this data to develop efficient methods to mitigate air pollution. 
• IoT for Smart Water Management: IoT sensors also help manage water for its optimal utilization. Sensors gather information to help understand water consumption patterns. Such sensors detect faults in supply and take the required course of action. Thus, it helps in efficient water recycling. 
• IoT for Resource Management: Other solutions in Smart Cities include waste management, parking solutions, electricity management, and infrastructure & disaster management. 

8. IoT for Smart Homes

The most popular real-world application of IoT is a smart home. The smart home is a miniature version of a Smart City. The Smart home uses sensors to control lighting, security, and other resources. 

The smart home system uses natural language processing to process voice commands. The system includes internet switches to operate the appliances. It takes care of lighting rooms based on occupancy, plays personalized music, and uses facial recognition to identify visitors for higher security. 

9. IOT for Smart Supply Chain Management

IoT applications help supply chain managers make improved predictions through smart routing and rerouting algorithms. They connect smart IoT devices to packages to gather instant after-the-incident facts via GPS and RFID signals. Such data helps them to make informed supply chain decisions.

The data collected through IoT apps also help mitigate uncertainty risks. In addition, it helps in inventory management, fleet management, vendor relationship, and scheduled maintenance. Thus, IoT in the supply chain helps in minimizing variance and reduce costs. 

10. IoT Technology in Smart Grids

An IoT system to optimize energy consumption is called a Smart grid. It helps in energy consumption more efficiently. The sensors are installed in energy meters, transmission lines, production plants, and distribution points. 

Sensors gather consumption data in three different contexts- geographic, organizational, and individual levels.

Here are the use cases of Smart grids:

• Smart grids create alerts in case of failure during power transmission.
• Sensors help identify abnormalities in the line and identify lossy nodes during transmission with the exact location of inefficiency.
• They monitor peak energy usage and consumption. 

Thus, it helps in cutting down costs and utilizing energy efficiently.

11. IOT for Enterprise Solutions 

• Security Solutions

Enterprises use IoT-backed security solutions to prevent cybersecurity attacks. The IoT-backed security solutions use real-time data to provide tactics against cyber attacks. Also, it helps them prepare security policies and incident responses based on network activity. 

• Analytics

IoT-powered apps enable enterprises to gather enough customer data in real time. It helps them analyze this data to make informed decisions.

• IT asset and service management

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) focuses on aligning IT services with business requirements. Enterprise infrastructure is highly complex, with multiple devices interconnected and communicating.

12. IOT for 5G

5G networks represent a major step forward for the Internet of Things uses. Transformative IoT application cases are made possible by 5G’s fast data transfer rates, low latency, and enormous device connection. 5G’s ultra-reliable and low-latency connections are useful in many fields, including driverless cars, smart cities, remote surgery, and immersive virtual reality. It paves the way for cutting-edge applications that need high bandwidth and immediate response by allowing for real-time monitoring, control, and collaboration.

13. IOT for Blockchain

The use of blockchain technology may improve the reliability, privacy, and security of IoT networks. Blockchain technology guarantees immutability, transparency, and decentralized data management through the use of distributed ledgers. The Internet of Things (IoT) may benefit from blockchain’s secure identification of devices, verification of data integrity, and decentralized administration. 

Without the requirement for trusted third parties, it facilitates trusted peer-to-peer transactions, smart contracts, and cross-entity data exchange. Supply chain management, energy trading, healthcare data sharing, and asset monitoring are just a few examples of where blockchain-based IoT applications might be useful.

Also read, A Complete Guide on How to Create an AI System

Conclusion

The possibilities for Internet of Things (IoT) applications are seemingly endless. The IoT revolutionizes every industry, from smart homes to industrial automation and healthcare monitoring. The future holds even more advancements in IoT technology and applications. The connected devices and machines seamlessly communicate and collaborate to make our lives easier and more efficient. 

Do you want to leverage powerful IoT technology to build IoT-based applications for your business? Glasier Inc. can help you out with our custom IoT app development services.

With a dedicated team of IoT app developers with several years of experience delivering IoT-based solutions, we ensure to deliver the best solutions each time. 

So, bring automation and efficiency to your business or enable your customers to experience IoT intelligence with us. Call us now at +91 9099020109 or drop us a line at info@glasierinc.com to get the quote or book a free consultation.