We don’t hit the AC remote anymore, desperately willing the dead battery alive. We tap our phones to change the temperature instead, and the AC listens. A sensor opens the garage door automatically, and the sprinklers somehow know when the plants need water.

People’s homes, workspaces and communities are now permeated by a network of small but powerful devices, made up of a web of sensors, processing software and actuators. Together, these devices apply a range of technology and intelligent inferences to enhance every aspect of people’s domestic, professional and community lives, making up what is known as the Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things, or IoT, creates a network where smart devices combine their data to communicate inferences, engage in decision-making and direct actions. Once seen as a key improvement to conventional industrial methods, IoT has crept into the domestic sphere as well, lending a helping hand in home maintenance, enforcing security protocols, reducing housekeeping workloads, assisting people with disabilities and the elderly and more. IoT brings a whirlwind of changes to the traditional working landscape by creating a network of interoperating devices that can automate tasks, perform decision-making autonomously and assist in a host of tasks at the user’s command.

The emergence of “smart homes,” aided by IoT, has transformed the definition of what is now considered a great home and great investment. Homeowners don’t simply look for houses with ample ventilation or larger parking, they look for a “thinking” space that can perform actions such as monitoring environmental conditions, assisting in security via intrusion detection and even autonomously monitoring the occupants’ health.  Read On: