The State of IoT Research

Industry uses the Internet of Things (IoT) to characterize a broad range of Internet-connected devices and services that include consumer products, smart homes and buildings, mobile systems, smart grid and energy thrusts, and various dedicated sensor networks. The potential for huge economic retuns has driven rapid development and deployment; commercial products are already being sold. Vendors have formed consortia, hoping that interoperability and branding will encourage customers to adopt their products. Unfortunately, despite the excitement and initial commercial success, IoT has been plagued by false starts and a sequence of technical challenges. The primary reason is that fundamentals -- including basic networking protocols used in IoT -- are still being developed and standardized. This talk review hot topics in IoT research, and explains which missing pieces of technology will be needed before IoT vendors can coalesce on secure, interoperable standards.