A survey on the challenges and opportunities of the Internet of Things (IoT)

Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing technology with a wide range of applications in various fields. It has unified a plethora of devices and infrastructure under the same umbrella and is considered by many technologies leaders as the network of the future (NoF). IoT connects heterogeneous devices that provide sensing, control, actuation, and monitoring activities for smarter environments. Smart IoT devices or objects are characterized with a unique identifier to transfer data over the network without human intervention. IoT is expected to further extend the boundaries of the autonomous world with advanced connectivity of physical entities, systems, services. However, there are some serious obstacles and challenges, which must be resolved before the full potential of IoT is realized. The focus of this study is to discuss the key drivers of change, challenges that may slow the adoption of IoT and the potential of the internet of things technology.