5G and IoT are new buzzwords taking the technology scene by storm due to their applications. Nevertheless, many users and professionals just throw these words around without knowing their meanings. You can even say they know nothing about the functions of 5G and IoT in their everyday lives. Heck, some consumers shy away from 5G because it allegedly causes adverse health effects, which is a false claim.
A Take-Away Point: People won’t take advantage of this new technology if they don’t feel safe.
Friendly Use Cases of 5G and IoT
5G and IoT are like twins in a pod and nowadays, they’re more interconnected than ever. Already, there are several positive use cases for the partnership between these two technologies. Some of them are: Quick access to services such as online casino bonuses or e-commerce platforms. Adoption leads to enhancements in daily life like better sleep cycles and increased commitment to personal health and fitness. Seamless and blazing-fast document sharing, as in Google Docs’ sharing capabilities across a wide range of devices.
The Known Dangers of 5G and IoT
The major risk of 5G and IoT is that users now share way too much information with manufacturers like Amazon, Samsung, and Apple. Your watches, laptops, home AIs, smartphones, and even lightbulbs have bigger access to your details. Data is the new oil, so don’t be fooled for a second that companies won’t sell your information in a heartbeat. Consumers all over Canada, France, Japan, the U.S., and the U.K. have lodged complaints about the uneasy access of smart devices to their information.
Besides that, Apple Watches, Amazon Echoes, and other devices are possible exploit routes for hackers. So, the obvious solution is to raise awareness of the duo’s shortcomings (We mean 5G and IoT). That, and implementing countermeasures to prevent illegal data access.
However, the slow adoption of 5G and IoT means that regulatory bodies in liaison with the government aren’t taking the risks of these technologies seriously.
5G Explained
5G means fifth-generation wireless connectivity so it’s the faster version of 4G, which is almost more popular than 5G. It’s not only faster but also more reliable than previous generations because it operates within an empty air space. That said, 5G has its fair share of disadvantages too, which are:
· 5G can’t travel the same distance that 4G can.
· 5G costs more money to install and maintain antennas because of its short travel distance.
These disadvantages slow the adoption of 5G by network providers all over the world. One of the first providers to start integrating 5G antennas was Verizon; Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T soon followed suit. Other features of 5G are blazing speeds and a responsive network.
IoT Explained
IoT is called the Internet of Things and it refers to a network of devices that are connected via the Internet. So, instead of pairing devices through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, devices need the Internet to exchange data and information. The Internet refers to connectivity (3G, 4G, and 5G), while Things are the interconnected devices. IoT now refers to billions of worldwide connected devices, including your Apple Watch, Google Home, FitBit, and Amazon Echo. Our environments are already chattier and smarter.
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
Decluttr recently surveyed smartphone owners and highlighted the inexperience of users with 5G. Over 2,000 users were surveyed and one-third of them believed that their devices were capable of 5G wireless connections. This was shortly after 5G went live in major cities and even then, the coverage and speed were inconsistent. Funnily enough, many network providers are still not selling 5G-enabled smartphones, except for flagships like the iPhone series.
As for the IoT, it’s still confused with the likes of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. For one, the Decluttr survey reported that a staggering 36% of consumers don’t know what IoT is. About 70% also claimed that they owned a connected device, so the disconnect is apparent and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
5G and IoT: The Future of IT
Humans can’t exploit the full potential of 5G, but the devices that it empowers are capable of that. Downloading games or 4K movies isn’t necessarily faster, but the network is now super responsive, easily pinging information from one device to another. Self-driving cars, virtual reality, and many up-and-coming technologies will benefit from the partnership of 5G and IoT. Nevertheless, many consumers still don’t understand the concepts behind these technologies and would rather turn a blind eye to their potential.
The Practical Solution: Consumer-oriented companies like Apple should take a page out of Steve Jobs’ book and show iPhone and Apple Watch owners exactly how 5G and IoT can benefit them.
