Internet of things refers to a network of sensors, instruments, and other devices connected. Sensors collect data and transmit it to the cloud which can be accessed through a smartphone app. It also allows data acquisition which enables us to implement data analysis to predict outcomes and make the decision accordingly. This has the potential for improving the productivity and efficiency of the manufacturing process.

The major advantage of an IoT system is the accessibility of information on your fingertips. A mobile phone is an effective tool that can take advantage of IoT solutions and mobile apps have revolutionized the IoT industry. Due to the user-friendly interface of these apps operator can easily control a plant without having a deep understanding of the system. It is because of these convenient features that IoT solutions are finding their way in fields like healthcare, agriculture, retail and much more.

IoT devices can be of different categories based on communication.

One-way data transmission

These devices consist of only sensors and transmission protocol. Environmental data collected from these sensors is transmitted to the cloud. Users can only see the environmental conditions on their smartphones using a mobile app in real-time and make a decision based on this information. This can be very helpful in a situation where alert situations are very rare but when they occur, they can be handled immediately.

Bi-directional communication

These devices consist of sensors, actuators, and transmission protocol. In addition to data transmission, these devices can be operated from remote locations. Based on the information a certain process can be turned on and off. These systems eliminate the need for the presence of ground staff at all times as users have historical data of a plant and can operate by just using a mobile phone app.

Benefits of IoT-mobile app Integration

The IoT offers several benefits to organizations, enabling them to:

Monitor overall business: With the complete information about inventory and production of every manufacturing plant on your mobile phone it let you know about your business anytime.

Improve customer’s experience: IoT let you understand what customer wants and gives you deep insight about customer’s behavior. By using Beacon technology, you can achieve these goals and enhance customer behavior and boost your business.

Increase in productivity: IoT improves the overall efficiency and productivity of both the people and the business. When devices are connected and communicate over the Internet, then you can seek real-time help, and ensure its immediate availability.

Reduction in costs: IoT gives you an insight into your business solutions in real-time which not only affect the production but also your decision-making abilities. It allows you to make insightful and necessary decisions, thus reducing the cost.

Generate more revenue: These tools give you every bit of information about your business at your fingertip and let you decide what’s good for your business and plans accordingly which ultimately adds to your revenue.

Applications of IoT smartphone apps

Mobile apps play an important role in enhancing the growth of IoT, as it allows the connection of devices that integrate sensors. IoT mobile apps simplify the remote control of smart gadgets. IoT application includes Industrial things like PLCs, Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), IP cameras and sensors, connectivity and cloud platform which enables secure hosting for the data and remote services.

Some mobile apps which are leveraging on the Internet of Things are discussed here.

Wearables devices

Wearables are an essential part of IoT solutions. By using Bluetooth connection, wearables like wristwatches can connect to smartphones. These devices can give you updates and analytics about your daily activities like running or walking, heart rate and body temperature, etc.

ShotTracker, a basketball app consists of a wristband with a sensor, that records data about the shots made by a player. This data is analyzed in the mobile app and can be used to track performance.

Healthcare IoT devices

Medical devices and sensors are connected to the patient to obtain data which is then transferred to the mobile app. It can greatly reduce the chances of an emergency. This data is transferred to the doctor or family members to keep an eye on the condition of the patient.

According to marketresearch.com, the health IoT application development is expected to reach $117 billion by 2020. Healthcare IoT includes devices like patient monitoring systems, heart monitoring, etc.

Agriculture IoT Apps

The world’s population is expected to hit 9 billion by 2050. This rapid growth in population demands a larger food supply which requires efficient methods of agriculture. IoT-based sensible farming is employed to field crops under constant observation with sensors like temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and nutrient. With these sensors, farmers can monitor the farm conditions using their mobile devices and make a decision like watering, pesticide or fertilizer requirement, based on these analytics. This way, efficient farming can be realized.

IoT solutions are being used in agriculture includes; precision farming, livestock monitoring, and smart greenhouse.

Industrial Plant monitoring

The manufacturing process in an industrial requires an optimum environment to work on its peak efficiency. This requires real-time monitoring of temperature, moisture, and pressure level. The sensor that monitors these conditions can be implemented using IoT. This helps in monitoring a plant remotely as data from these sensors are constantly monitored by a computer program. The threshold valued can be set for an alert situation, and when a plant reaches these predetermined values an alert notification is generated on the mobile app, which can be handled by professionals.

It also gives historical data which can be processed by machine learning algorithms for efficient predictions and helps in the effective use of the resources.

Besides these applications IoT integrated with mobile phone apps has a vast range of applications from industrial to commercial and residential its uses are only dependent on developers that how they want to use it to address a particular issue.