Technology 5 min read

IoT Trends to Look Forward to in 2020

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metamorworks / Shutterstock.com

The coming year will see the Internet of Things move out of the hype phase to become an everyday lifestyle. But, it begins with specific IoT Trends.

The market for the Internet of Things has experienced an unexpected boom in 2019. From Amazon‘s Echo Plus Voice Controller to August Doorbell Cam, more tech companies are now investing IoT devices.

In 2018, Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure reported a 49 percent and 93 percent growth, respectively, with their IoT portion contributing the bulk. In the same year, the global IoT market was $151 billion, and the number is expected to grow to 212 billion by the end of 2019.

What’s responsible for the significant growth, you ask?

Along with reducing manual tasks, IoT also increases efficiency. It enables users to save money and time while substantially improving their quality of life.

As impressive as the current Internet of Things adoption, experts have predicted that 2020 will even be better.

5 IoT Trends that Will Be Dominating 2020

Here are the top 2020 IoT trends you should look forward to in 2020.

1. New Era of Smart Cities

More countries are investing in smart cities.

In 2018, Hungary announced a smart city project in two villages, Hegyeshalom and Bezenye. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is already building its futuristic mega-city called NEOM.

While these countries are employing different concepts for their cities, the general idea involves using advanced technology to improve the quality of life. And 2020’s IoT trend could usher a new era of smart cities.

Recently, tech companies are starting to roll out devices and sensors to enable a free flow of information between interconnected devices.

For example, Barcelona saves $37 million annually by embedding smart sensors in street lights. So, the light brightens and dims based on foot traffic.

The coming year will bring in similar pioneering tools for efficient data exchange between IoT devices in smart cities.

2. IoT-Enabled Devices Will Integrate 5G into New Designs

Talks of the next-generation mobile network have dominated the internet in recent times, and that’s not surprising. Along with its high speed and low latency, 5G‘s large capacity is perfect for IoT devices.

In 2019, some cities across the world got early access to 5G. Manufacturers like Samsung also made some 5G-enabled devices.

The coming year promises to deliver even more. Not only will more cities in the world get the next-generation mobile network, but more IoT devices will get the support too.

Currently, many IoT device transmits data using the low power wireless personal area networking (LoWPAN). According to the Android Developers Guide, LoWPAN provides a cost-efficient way for devices to communicate over a low-power wireless network.

While the popularity of 5G seems to threaten LoWPAN, experts predict that it won’t actually replace it. Instead, IoT data will stick with the old network, while using 5G to augment it.

3. Cybercriminals Will Target IoT Devices for Ransom

While there are benefits to putting your everyday devices on the internet, it also opens you to cyber-attacks. That means as of IoT devices grow in number, so will the numbers of cybercriminals that’ll target them for ransom.

A recent study already shows that smart bulbs can serve as a gateway for hackers to access other personal information. In 2020, this could grow into an IoT trend.

According to Forrester reports, attackers will target consumer and manufacturer’s IoT devices for ransom in the coming year. The report further suggested that companies that want to avoid this fate must integrate risk-mitigating techniques in their devices.

4. The emergence of IoT in the Health Sector

The healthcare industry has undergone tons of improvements in recent times, and this is partly due to advancements in technology.

Earlier in the year, Dr. Antonio de Lacy performed a surgical procedure by using 5G to mentor professionals in the operating room. As impressive as that sounds, the most significant IoT trend in the health sector today may be health monitoring devices.

Patients now use IoT devices to monitor their health and collect vital data in real-time. From smart shirts for monitoring respiration to soft wearables for babies, tons of IoT devices came to the health sector in 2019.

But 2020 would be even better. A recent report suggests that the Internet of Things (IoT) in the healthcare industry will reach $71 billion by 2021 and $322.2 billion by 2025.

IoT-enabled gadgets will enable health professionals to keep track of their patients vitals remotely. This, in turn, allows them to take necessary precautions when necessary.

5. Consumers will Embrace Smart Speakers

Smart speakers have come a long way since Amazon’s first-gen Echo in 2014.

Now, we have Google Nest Hub, Sonos One, Amazon Echo Show, among others. As the speakers got better, so did the voice assistant, with Alexa being the most dominant.

However, these technologies will only get better in the coming year. According to a report, the smart speaker market could exceed $30 billion by 2024.

Forrester report suggests voice, display, and touch will become an essential part of smart speakers in 2020. Also, the growing adoption will encourage more developers to create software that’ll make the speakers even smarter.

Other IoT Trends To Expect

Along with the five trends outlined above, we can expect other IoT trends in the coming year.

For example, blockchain is set to play a significant role in the Internet of Things. According to a report, spending in the industrial and IoT blockchain sphere could rise from its current $174 million to $573 million in 2023.

Also, the number of IoT appliances is set to grow from its current 3.7 billion to exceed the number of people on the planet. Expectedly, this could raise some ethical and legal concerns.

Cybercrime will see a significant boost, and consumer protection and data protection may become a big IoT issue in the coming year.

Read More: 5 IoT Devices That Completely Miss the Mark

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Sumbo Bello

Sumbo Bello is a creative writer who enjoys creating data-driven content for news sites. In his spare time, he plays basketball and listens to Coldplay.

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