Wireless Sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT)


What if you are at work and forget to switch off the Air conditioner at home? Do you need to travel back? If you have a mobile application that checks the AC status and switches it off immediately. This use case is not limited to Air conditioners; how about having this advantage with all home appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, heaters, security alarms, etc.? Yes, we can connect all these appliances internally, leading to a trending technology called IoT, the Internet of Things.

The Internet of things can make every machine smarter, giving internet access to internet−not−enabled devices. This results in intelligent homes and innovative industries if we go deeper. This technology has applications in various sectors like health, security, agriculture, factories, etc. At the core, devices are connected through the Internet to receive and send data among them through mobile applications. The Internet of things is closer to wireless technology as it works on wireless sensors and Wi−fi.

What is a Wireless Sensor?

A sensor is a gadget that detects something. Sensors that can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste are now available. In the same way, there are sensors in IoT devices too. When it comes to IoT devices, there are two categories of devices. One is general devices, which are connected through wired or wireless interfaces. These devices include home appliances. The other type is sensing devices which contain sensors and activators. They measure the parameters like humidity, temperature, light intensity, etc. Intelligent machines can use these parameter measures broadly in their actions and decision−making.

Why Wireless Sensor Technology?

Wireless sensor technology provides scalability. If you've already deployed a few sensor nodes to monitor a specific area and want to expand your control area, you can add more sensors to the existing network. This broadens the site without the need to modify or change the current sensors. The installation cost of wireless sensors seems a little higher. However, any change you need in the future will be much more flexible and cheaper. This sensor technology also made security accessible to everyone at their facility. Wireless sensors do care about our time. They get things done faster and more accurately without requiring manual effort. It also helps customers or consumers to use their resources efficiently to their maximum extent.

Types Of Wireless Sensors In IoT

IoT Sensors are designed to react to specific physical situations and then send a signal that reflects the severity of the condition being recorded. At a glance, wireless sensors include temperature sensors, liquid leak sensors, motion sensors, air sensors, and many more.

Temperature Sensors

Temperature sensors measure the temperature of the environment or physical objects and convert them into electrical signals, which IoT devices can understand and behave accordingly. These temperature sensors can be widely observed in real−world applications when automated actions are required based on temperatures, like auto air conditioner adjustments according to room temperature, refrigerator settings based on storage, etc.

Motion Sensors

Motion sensors are used to measure the movement of an object. These sensors have broad applications in security and automation. Companies or owners can install these wireless sensors on their valuable assets to notify them immediately if there is a movement near the assets or if the assets were moved. Because of these motion sensors, the door automatically opens when you approach the grocery store.

Liquid Sensors

Liquid sensors these days can be observed in every household in water tanks. These sensors instantly stop filling the water tank when the specified level is reached. These are widely used in water−saving schemes. In addition, these sensors can be installed in various industrial sites to notify of dangerous leaks. Water sensors can also be used for better water management in agriculture. Plants and crops grow healthier when provided with quality water consisting of various components like PH level, salts, etc. Liquid sensors can be used to monitor and control these component levels.

Optical Sensors

Optical sensors detect light reflected off an object and generate an electrical signal that can be used to monitor the condition. The auto screen−brightness control feature in our mobile phones is enabled through these sensors. Optical sensors can also keep track of solar light intensity in a day, and these records can be used in various analyses to save our environment.

Gas Sensors

Gas sensors can be used to detect various types of gasses and measure gas concentration. They can save us from toxic, explosive gasses. Gas sensors have a sensing surface that reacts differently according to the gas type. So, various materials used in the sensor surface will allow the detection of different gasses. Regular consumers use this sensor to detect the concentration of carbon dioxide in their homes.

Conclusion

The Internet of Things (IoT) can potentially expand information accessibility significantly and is expected to change businesses and organizations. Wireless technology also has made the average consumer's life easier. The wireless sensor technology also has made the average consumer's life easier. This intelligent technology made things to be done with a single click. This article mentioned a few cases where IoT impacted the human system. The future of wireless technology looks brighter. Intelligent businesses that examine IoT may gain a significant competitive advantage over others. With time, we will see more innovation in various industries and other promising applications for this technology.

Updated on: 26-Dec-2022

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