On The Internet of Things

Since I first heard the term, I have been enamored with the Internet of Things. A world where every device interacts with each other. Where your car is aware of your phone and your schedule simply by being close to it. Where stores greet you by name and remember your preferences. I get excited watching videos created by Microsoft.

And Corning.

They have imagined a world where we don't just use our devices at work, home, in the car but a world where our devices are work, are home, are the car. Where going on the computer is no longer a thing because everything is a computer. A truly connected world. 

Now and again I get the feeling that we are close. When I start a report on my home computer, finish on my laptop in class, and then print from the library computers, all without manually moving files around. But the service is still flaky, and requires a plethora of accounts and setup to make sure that files aren't lost or corrupted. Sometimes it fails, and if I didn't know as much about computer as I do I would be failing some of my courses right now. This is really not something the average computer user is willing to risk. 

And then there are the devices themselves. I still cannot control the lights in my apartment from my phone, start the oven while searching for recipes online, or throw a cool video I found up on the wall for everyone to share. There are some companies trying to offer these types of services. Major brands like Philips sell wifi enabled light bulbs. The costs are enormous and require a proprietary app to function. Others offer music streaming services, and computer controlled appliances. Each with there own protocol, and proprietary app. In my honest opinion, these things won't work together. The Internet of Things won't become a thing, until these companies get together and create a shared protocol. A means of connecting the lights together with the music in such a way that the lights do not need to know what else exists in my house. Where my phone can query all the devices in the room and provide me with an easy to use interface. Call me a dreamer but that's what I want, but I know it is within our means today. We have the technology but not the cooperation.

The readings these past few weeks showed how hard it is to get companies to create something that allows their devices to interconnect. They always want "their" way to be the one chosen, and will try to lock their customers into their ecosystem. Something that really flies in the face of the Internet of Things. How can my phone and microwave talk to each if they were produced by different companies. They really can't. Not without standards. Not without agreeing on a protocol. 

The Internet of Things is something we as a society have been heading towards for a while now. I have no doubt we will get there eventually. Hopefully it will happen in my lifetime.