ITC560 Internet of Things IT Editing Services

ITC560 Internet of Things IT Editing Services

Introduction

Internet of things has made advancement with technology which makes everyone to enter into a new world with more automation and security. The view can be virtually developed and Internet of thing makes it happen in reality. IOT provides an interface to transfer data from the devices which are combination of the electronics, software, sensors, actuators and network connectivity. Every person wants the access of devices on their cells so that they can operate them from wherever they are. It provides luxury, improvement in life, security against different intrusions. Human has made an endless effort for the improvement of life and this report will sum up some of the issues and their solution for the Internet of things also list of current devices used in the home (Prabhu, 2017).

IOT definition

Internet of things provides a dynamic infrastructure for global network with self-governing capabilities based on the exchangeable communication protocols. The Virtual and physical things got some intelligent interface and then to integrated into informational network. This is method of interaction to transfer the data through medium of network without need of human-to-human and human-to-device interaction. It has been involved in various other technologies such as wireless, electro-mechanical systems, micro-services, and the internet. The convergence of this technology helped internet of thing to spread its impact to every part of life including home devices.

Figure1: Working of IOT devices

State of IOT: present, past, future

Past of Internet of things

The concept of internet of things is 16 years old when Kevin Ashton in 1999 coined this term during working in supply chain optimization. The internet of thing gained the popularity in 2010 when information about Google’s Street View Service is leaked. In 2011, the market research company known as Gartner invented the famous hype-cycle for emerging technologies added the emerging phenomenon of Internet of things (Lueth, 2014).

Present of Internet of things

After its foundation in 1999, the development of smart devices is at growth and according to the Cisco Internal Business Solution Group (IBSG), IOT is that point where more things are connected to the internet rather than people. Initially, in 2003 IOT is not in existence because of less number of connected things to the internet through smartphones were just being introduced. According to the cisco, today IOT is well developing with the merger of other technology.

Figure2: Data of IOT devices between year 2003 and 2020

Future of internet of things:

According to Gartner, the technology is featuring the focus of attention on the high level of interest and on potential of IOT impact. The hype cycle provides the perspective for the technology and trends of business strategists, innovation officers, Research and development leaders, global market developers and many other entrepreneur teams. They always consider the emerging portfolios of the IOT. The movement of automation of many devices put the IOT in trends and provide solutions to existing manufacturers (gartner, 2015).

Figure3: Data of increase in applications of IOT

Potential of ‘Internet of things’

The potential of Internet of things is described below:

1.The expansion of the IOT provides the efficient process for the development of new products for all markets. The whole world is transforming into data and the operation of sorting and analyzing the data is done by the IOT.

2.IT functionality is increasing as more and more advanced products are launching with advanced technology. The sector of marketing, human resources, and industrial process gain the explosion of IOT for making better decision.

3.IOT is become the reason of transforming traditional methods and brought up a revolution in every sector of home appliances, banking, healthcare, infrastructure, and insurance by reducing cost and waste.

4.IOT developed and integrated the IT solutions to improve the productivity and efficiency of the companies. The ability of system increased by direct control and isolating the issues (Claveria, 2017)

Common issues in IOT at home

The challenges or issues in the Internet of things at home are:

(a) Connectivity

The devices may have weak authentication and password for the devices which can be hacked easily by the hackers. Also, non-availability of two-way authentication makes security of any home as the target for the hackers.

(b) Security and privacy

With addition to the weak authentication, there are various vulnerabilities which can affect the home web interface. The vulnerabilities that can occur are related to the path traversal, remote code execution, SQL injection and remote file inclusion.

(c) Local attacks

Attackers break the weaker Wi-Fi encryption or any other device encryption in order to gain the access to the home network. The devices which have passwords of plain text are targets for attack and usually have no proper authentication (Wueest, 2015)

(d) Standardization of technology

The standardization of the devices is necessary before using them for home security. If suitable standardization is not available then this may create a serious risk to the security of home.

(e) Usage  

The data which is free flow is sometimes confidential causes many challenges for the privacy. The data should be accurately encrypted with a password for its security.      

Potential solutions

The user should consider the following solutions for the problems discussed above:

1.Use of unique and strong passwords for accounts of devices and Wifi routers with the help of device authentication through SSL.

2.Frequently change in passwords should be adapted for security of passwords.

3.Encryption method which is used should be strong enough such as digital code signing.

4.It is better to disable the remote access IOT devices when there is no need of them.

5.Sometimes wired connections are good for safety from threats instead of wireless.

6.The network security of a home should separately distribute for different rooms.

7.During purchase of IOT devices, care must be taken for any fault present in the device.

8.Always security measures should be kept in mind in order to use it correctly.

9.Regular auditing of the devices should be done whether the devices are working properly or not in order to rectify any upcoming threat (Wueest, 2015)

Diagram of the dwelling layout

Figure4: Dwelling layout with IOT devices

List of IOT devices used at home

1.Bitdefender Box

It is a security solution which blocks the threats and can scan the vulnerabilities of all the devices present at home. It protects the other IOT devices even when no-one is at home. The special functionality of this device is that it can act as a wireless router.

Issues:

1.Did not protect against malware.

2.Much costly than its given functionality (STOBING, 2015).

Figure5: Bitdefender Box

2.Google Home Voice controller

This is a Google home device which controls the home devices by the voice command. The other functionalities are- it has Google assistant, helping behavior with available list, translation, provides news, music, details regarding calendar and much more. 

Issues:

1.Providing wrong location

2.Google home is nonresponding

3.Problemin connection with other devices (MARTIN,2017).

Figure6: Google Home Voice controller

3.Nest Cam indoor camera

This device helps in monitoring the working at home. The benefit it provides is of modern streaming technology and a perfect sleek design so that anyone can watch what is happening at home from anywhere.

Issues:

1.Continuous connectivity with internet can cause security risk

2.Problem with Bluetooth connection (BADER, 2017).

Figure7: Nest Cam indoor camera

4.TrackR bravo

This is a tracking device which is coin-sized in shape. It helps in locating one’s belongings in real time and notifies about their location whether they are misplaced or lost. This device is especially used for the wallets, keys, phones or pets.

Issues:

1.Enables all phones to search

2.Possible attack by malware

3.Device tracking ID can be exposed (Smith, 2016).

Figure8: TrackR bravo

5.Nest thermostat

This is a thermostat which learns what temperature someone likes by building a schedule around that person. It also sends alert when the temperature is high such that it may ruin the belongings and appliances.

Issues:

1.No perfect control over temperature.

2.Suffer various types of bugs

3.Battery drains faster (BILTON, 2016).

Figure9: Nest thermostat

6.Nest Cam Outdoor camera

This outdoor camera controlled by one app and has unique magnetic mount. It has full 1080p HD video streaming and advanced night vision. It enables a person to take care of home of what matters 24/7.

Issues:

1.Signal disconnect many times during the day.

2.Cameras randomly go offline (Vuongman, 2017)

Figure10: Nest Cam Outdoor camera

7.Smart controller remote

This device has an integral control for the connected lights, locks, thermostats, sensors, home entertainment devices and more. All these can be accessed from either a rechargeable touchscreen remote or by handy mobile app.

Issues:

1.Unwantedcommand executes.

2.Mostly times hang the connected devices (Rdellison,2016)

Figure11: Smart controller remote

8.Nest Protect Smoke and CO detector

This is a protecting device with a smoke alarm which detects the presence of smoke and carbon mono-oxide (CO). The sensor present in this device is an industrial-grade smoke sensor and automatic self-testing. This home alarm can be hush down from phone without any use of extra hardware.

Issues:

1.More expensive as compared to its functionalities

2.Hang the other apps of nest.

3.Battery drains faster (McCarthy, 2016)

Figure12: Nest Protect Smoke and CO detector

9.Smart door locks

These locks offer access control feature for home security. This remote lock connects to existing Wi-Fi router and receives emails and send messages when anyone arrives and leaves the home. This device can store up to 1000 user codes in its memory.

Issues:

1.Plain text password can be hacked easily.

2.Needs extra-filtering when accessed by pair of phones (Carman, 2016)

Figure13: Smart door lock

10.Smart home apps

These apps are one step solution for controlling all the IOT devices present at home. The functionality includes changing of light color, setting the room temperature, changing step on a wearable and much more. It can browse thousands of features across home, family, fitness and more. These can be easily added to the app and can be accessed with the tap of button.

Issues:

1.Technical errors in support of devices.

2.Inactivity of apps during emergency.

3.Cannot control many devices at a time (Insights, 2016)

Figure14Stringify app

Conclusion

IOT has huge success in the application used for home. I identified the potential and issue related to the IOT. The solutions with respect to the issues are also listed when IOT devices are implemented at home. The dwelling layout is also presented here. The list of devices with description is also included in this report. The manufacturer and the related cost are also described in a tabular format.

References

BADER, D. (2017).That potentially dangerous Nest Cam bug has been fixed. Retrieved from https://www.androidcentral.com/nest-cams-have-brutal-bug-will-be-fixed-coming-days

BILTON, N. (2016). Nest Thermostat Glitch Leaves Users in the Cold. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/fashion/nest-thermostat-glitch-battery-dies-software-freeze.html?mcubz=1

BusinessInsider. (2016).Will the Internet of Things be bigger than the Industrial Revolution?Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/iot-ecosystem-internet-of-things-predictions-and-business-potential-2016-7?IR=T

Carman, A. (2016). Surprise: a lot of smart locks have terrible security.Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/8/9/12414014/smart-lock-security-flaws-internet-of-things

Claveria, K. (2017). 5 infographics on the potential of the Internet of Things. visioncritical. Retrieved from https://www.visioncritical.com/internet-of-things-infographics/

Evans, D. (2011). The Internet of Things How the Next Evolution of the Internet Is Changing Everything.Retrieved from https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ac79/docs/innov/IoT_IBSG_0411FINAL.pdf

Gartner. (2015). Gartner's 2015 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Identifies the Computing Innovations That Organizations Should Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3114217

Insights. (2016).Do recent glitches in smart home apps signal long-term issues for IoT regulations and insurance?Retrieved from https://www.northstarventures.co.uk/news/do-recent-glitches-in-smart-home-apps-signal-long-term-issues-for-iot-regulations-and-insurance

Kodali, R., Jain, V., Bose, S., & Boppana, L. (2016). IoT based smart security and home automation system. researchgate. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312559421_IoT_based_smart_security_and_home_automation_system

Lammers, D. (2013). COVER STORY: FABS IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS ERA. Appliedmaterials. Retrieved from http://www.appliedmaterials.com/nanochip/nanochip-fab-solutions/december-2013/cover-story-fabs-in-the-internet-of-things-era

Lueth, K.L. (2014).Why the Internet of Things is called Internet of Things: Definition, history, disambiguation. Retrieved from https://iot-analytics.com/internet-of-things-definition/

MARTIN, T. (2017).4 common issues with Google Home and how to fix them. Retrieved from  https://www.cnet.com/au/how-to/common-issues-with-google-home-and-how-to-fix-them/

McCarthy, K. (2016).When smart things go wrong.Retrieved from https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/10/05/nest_smoke_alarm_great_til_it_went_nuts/

Prabhu, S. (2017). IOT Based Home Automation and Security System. internationaljournalssrg. Retrieved from http://www.internationaljournalssrg.org/IJECE/2017/Volume4-Issue3/IJECE-V4I3P106.pdf

Rdellison. (2016). harmony hub network issues.Retrieved fromhttps://community.logitech.com/s/question/0D53100005QYjIvCAL/harmony-hub-network-issues

Smith. (2016). Privacy and security  problems in TrackR, iTrack Easy and Nut IoT trackers. Retrieved from https://www.csoonline.com/article/3134531/security/privacy-and-security-problems-in-trackr-itrack-easy-and-nut-iot-trackers.html

STOBING, C. (2015).BITDEFENDER BOX REVIEW. digitaltrends. Retrieved from https://www.digitaltrends.com/pc-accessory-reviews/bitdefender-box-review/

Vuongman. (2017). Orbi and Nest Outdoor Camera issues.Retrieved from https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-and-Nest-Outdoor-Camera-issues/td-p/1220100

Wueest, C. (2015). Is IoT in the Smart Home giving away the keys to your kingdom?. Symantec. Retrieved from https://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/iot-smart-home-giving-away-keys-your-kingdom