An open IOT with no centralized control needs a distributed architecture based on open standards and interfaces, with control of objects in the hands of the owners of the objects. In many ways, this is more important for industrial IOT than smart homes. Businesses that have, say, chemical plants do not want parts of that … Continue reading Distributed IOT →

The Internet opened up the ability for anyone to communicate with anyone else on the planet. It created a level playing field for the distribution of information. That is why it has been successful. The Internet of Things was expected to do the same for "Smart Devices". Instead, what we have today is a small … Continue reading Internet of Things or Islands of Things? →

Bring out the garlic, stakes and sacred bullets! The Data Vampires are coming! Sound alarmist? Maybe, but Google’s Nest family of Internet of Things devices and Amazon’s Echo are in the vanguard of devices which will stealthily suck data from your home into corporate Big Data clouds. Countless startups and established home automation makers are … Continue reading The Data Vampires Are Coming! →

Consumers have the right to control their privacy. Consumer data should not be collected from Internet of Things devices and sent to a remote location without the consumer’s express permission. Consumers have the right to control the devices in their home. Internet of Things devices in a consumer’s home must be under complete control of … Continue reading Consumer Bill of Rights for an Open Internet of Things →

The unsuspecting consumer eager to partake of the benefits of the Internet of Things will seldom ask the questions they should to protect their privacy and maintain control of their environment. Before buying and installing any IoT device, consumers should clearly understand how the device is managed as well as the location and control of … Continue reading Who Controls My IOT? →

The engineering wizards of Silicon Valley and their hard-charging marketing cohorts are offering us the promise of a better life with the Internet of Things (IOT). Google, Facebook and countless startups are hoping to cash in on this latest technology “gold rush” by delivering us a futuristic world of highly automated homes, connected automobiles, wearable … Continue reading The Promise and Perils of the Internet of Things →