The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a massive network of devices connected to the internet and to each other. These devices are found in homes, offices and factories, ranging from home appliances and smart thermostats to medical equipment and remote-controlled industrial robots. They enable businesses to track inventory, analyze customer behavior and offer personalized services. They also help monitor utility infrastructure to detect issues such as leaks or outages.
The leaps in speed, capacity and latency that 5G offers are key to making these types of devices more useful and impactful. With faster downloads and reduced lag-time, IoT sensors can more quickly send and receive data, giving them the ability to perform a range of tasks.
As with previous mobile networking technologies, 5G works through base stations that broadcast radio waves that connect to nearby devices. These base stations use a technique called beamforming to hone in on individual devices to establish the best possible connection. They also use techniques like multiple-antenna arrays and dynamic scheduling to ensure that the network has enough capacity for users without causing congestion.
The speed improvements offered by 5G mean that devices will be able to download large files more quickly. This will make streaming 4K films or playing virtual reality games much more practical. The network’s low latency also allows IoT devices to communicate with each other more quickly, a key feature for applications such as self-driving cars that need to constantly process sensor data and make decisions in real time.
