The Limitless Possibilities of the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT). You will have heard of the expression, but the extent of what it covers may not yet have hit your radar. IoT will be responsible for a seismic shift in the way we all live, and do business.
In today’s modern society, the world is becoming increasingly connected. From smart lighting in our houses for reducing energy wastage, up to the measurement of water quality in our reservoirs, the IoT is able to automate the world’s most fundamental processes, with the precision and speed that humans would struggle to replicate.
It’s not unfathomable to assume that soon almost everything will be connected to the Internet in some way, including buildings, vehicles and physical devices. Many of our mini printers are already equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to print wirelessly and connect with other devices such as smartphones or tablets.
Smart motorways have recently been introduced to the UK’s roads – where traffic, or signals received from road signs and traffic lights can be used to dictate the speed limit of traffic to improve flow, using the same universal network.
For businesses, the applications of IoT are vast. The in-depth metrics you could learn about your customers, with real usage data, will enable you to make more informed decisions than ever before. If all of your equipment, vehicles and even stock are integrated on the same system, the impact on inventory management will be unparalleled.
There are endless opportunities for time and cost savings; production lines could become more automated and even operated remotely, enabling your workforce to work more efficiently, and energy is likely to become cheaper, owing to smart grid coordination.
Other benefits aside from convenience are the time and cost savings for business. With the growing population, the issue of waste disposal is increasingly important. Some of the latest thinking centres on the idea that if a customer has already bought a product before, then repeat purchases could cut down on packaging as the product would not require branding. With the abundance of cost-effective Bluetooth printers on the market, customers could even choose to print a label at home, to confirm usage instructions, for example.
Of course, no-one can accurately predict the future of technology. The entertainment industry is full of examples of insights into the future that have proven too farfetched or not revolutionary enough; think of the flying cars and wall-mounted fax machines in Back to the Future II. Whatever the future holds, however, the consensus is that the IoT is likely to play a big part in it.
Ready to start embracing the connectivity of the IoT? Why not browse our range of Bluetooth-enabled mobile printers.