Read part 1 here

What’s an IoT developer to do?

Tasking developers with building the communication fabric that gratifies IoT connectivity requirements for proper deployment of connected products involves considerable drawbacks and potential difficulties.

We’re currently witnessing rapidly expanding product launches and sky-high elevated expectations from the emerging deployment of the Internet of Things in both personal and commercial domains. Stakeholders — ranging from hardware manufacturers and service providers to cloud platforms — are strongly weighing in to position their offerings in expectancy of windfall rewards from fast-tracked IoT adoption.

Futurists say there are some certainties we should plan for, and some uncertainties with a range of possible outcomes we can try to prepare for. In this article I will paint a potential picture of HVAC contracting in 2030, with an objective of encouraging contractors to prepare for the future. Advances in technology are creating a faster pace of change. If I were to write myself some advice in 2030 and send it back in time (which those guys at Google have almost figured out), it would go something like this:

Anyone who’s ever been involved with a new system implementation knows that it’s easier said than done. The great statements made during the planning phase often fail to become reality, as the project becomes mired in complexity and unexpected obstacles. The same outcome could happen to many companies wishing to profit on the Internet of Things (IoT), particularly as it relates to energy management. Without a proven implementation methodology and a clear, cross-functional execution plan, the incredible potential of IoT to help decrease energy usage may never be fulfilled.

The Building IoT has one capability that all facility managers need, and that is the ability to be everywhere at once. Sensors can be placed throughout a facility and connected with each other so that not only is the HVAC system reporting back to the facility manager, but also the lights, toilet paper dispensers and trash cans. Essentially, they are speaking to each other.

Ask ten industry observers to define the Building Internet of Things (IoT), and you will probably wind up with ten different answers. It’s not hard to understand why. The past few years have seen an explosion of new options in information technology and facility automation. Many of them come from start-up companies. The bulk of these products are more than just beta tests, but haven’t reached mainstream adoption yet. The Building IoT is distorting old product categories while also creating new ones. It’s introducing unfamiliar language and raising new questions. And while the term is not just hype, there certainly is some hype involved. In short, the Building IoT market is diverse, complicated, and changing.

IoT is becoming a well-known trend in the manufacturing industry and for facility managers. The buzzword describes the machine to machine communications or the interconnectivity of machines using sensors and Wi-Fi. The trend is increasing due to the major benefits it creates in all parts of manufacturing operations, especially in maintenance of equipment.

The Internet of Things is the start of the next industrial revolution, according to a new report from AIG. The report entitled, “The Internet of Things, Evolution or Revolution?” sets out to decipher this new major disruptive force in our lives, which will be worth $14.4 trillion by 2020. So what is in store for us in 2016 with the IoT?