Comment by AStonesThrow
2 days ago
The definition of "IoT" requires neither Internet access nor cloud server functionality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things
The core idea of IoT is that everything is capable of communicating on some network, whether that device is a fridge, a coffee maker, a dishwasher, a speck of dust, or a light bulb. The idea is that networks can connect more types of "things" than just general computing devices. The type of network and the reach of said network is sort of immaterial.
The author has created a specialized widget which communicates over a network. By definition, that is IoT.
To be fair, while the definition does not require internet connectivity, the name certainly does imply that it does.
Even the linked Wikipedia article points this out:
> "Internet of things" has been considered a misnomer because devices do not need to be connected to the public internet; they only need to be connected to a network and be individually addressable.
I suppose that's fair for someone who is not in-the-know.
But the definition of "internet" from an early point has been "a network of networks".
It is by historical accident that many people understand the proper name "Internet" to refer to a singular and monolithic thing. For many purposes, The Internet is monolithic, as it is a global interconnect and everything speaks IPv4 and is therefore globally addressable, if not routable or reachable.
But I would say that a "network of networks" is whatever you make of it. If it is a network of Bluetooth devices bridged by WiFi, that's an internet. If it's a dozen networks of washing machines in disparate rooms, bridged by a service provider, but not reachable by anyone without an app, that's an internet.
So in reality, it's perfectly logical to have multiple internets, interconnected internets, and isolated internets. The fact that China runs a "Great Firewall" means that their "Internet" experience is markedly different from an internet from a non-China perspective.
Last, but certainly not least: don't forget that the "S" in "IoT" stands for "security"!