Steve Brumer was recently a guest on The QTS Experience Podcast with David McCall. They discussed all things IoT devices including the pros and cons of connecting your world, taking control of cyber-crime, and how Steve changed the world of Coca-Cola in the mid-1990s. Get more details from this summary of their conversation.
IoT Technology is Still Hard
Even though Steve has spent decades in the wireless, M2M, and IoT industry, it still isn’t easy. Between hardware, software, devices, sensors, EDGE computing devices, which cloud to use, over 650 different IoT platforms to choose from, and what to do with all the data, there’s a lot going on. It takes a sharp mind to understand all the available options, how they work together, and which configuration will be best for any particular application. Throw in the fact that this technology is constantly changing and you can see why many people rely on professionals to connect their world.
“Still, only 10-15% of all IoT data is looked at and analyzed.”
What is the Complexity of IOT Devices?
The most difficult thing for a consumer is that you want to manage all the devices yourself. That means it requires some kind of IoT platform. Today, that’s the Alexa that you can interface with to turn things on. But Alexa isn’t necessarily on your phone to manage that, so you look at a home kit or Nest to get everything to integrate. The problem comes in with the lack of education. The average consumer is not able to explain how a call starts on one phone and gets transferred to another. Even talking with salespeople at a big box store, they may not be fully educated to help the consumer get all the IoT products they need for their home and get it all set up and working. Then the consumer thinks the products don’t work.
The Good vs. the Bad
There are good and bad sides to having a connected world. On the good side, having a camera on your front door can help identify who is stealing packages. This information can also be immediately sent to the authorities to take action the moment a crime is committed.
The bad side of IoT is not knowing who is responsible for security and privacy. One example would be if a hacker was able to access thermostats across the world and raise the temperature in homes with that device. Would everyone stop buying home automation devices? Probably not.
The ROI of IoT Devices
Bringing connected devices into your home may seem very expensive upfront. However, when you consider the return on investment, it can actually be very cost-effective. Buying three thermostats for a three-story home may cost about $500. But it can save you hundreds of dollars each month on heating and cooling costs. With this kind of ROI, the IoT devices will quickly pay for themselves.
Hear More from Steve and David
Watch the above video to learn more about the benefits and risks of bringing IoT devices into your home.
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