Take Control of the Cloud, 2nd Edition

The Cloud and the Internet of Things

Back in 1982, some smart aleck at Carnegie Mellon University thought it would be fun to modify a Coke machine by giving it a network interface. That way, anyone on campus could remotely check in on the machine’s stock of their preferred beverage (and even how cold it was). When I first heard about this, long ago, I thought it was a brilliant but silly hack—fun, sure, but ultimately pointless.

In the years since, however, people have figured out how to connect almost any conceivable object to the Internet. Using tiny, low-cost controllers (usually with embedded Wi-Fi transceivers, but sometimes with Bluetooth or other wireless circuitry), engineers have added Internet connectivity to light bulbs, thermostats, ...