Top 10 IoT Use Cases

The internet changed many traditional perceptions about communication and bridged the gap between people across different countries. Imagine sending an email to a friend in China while you are in the United States within seconds. It is a massive advantage over traditional mail by post, which could have taken days or months to transfer your message. 

Many years down the lane since its inception, the internet has spurred the development of many new technologies. The popular applications of IoT or Internet of Things are the perfect examples of innovation with internet technology. Internet of Things has enabled the development of new interconnected networks of devices that can communicate with each other and other internet-connected devices and applications. 

IoT has offered a viable opportunity for automation of different processes in business operations and everyday lives of people. Therefore, the interest in uses of IoT has been growing at a rapid pace, particularly for beginners in IoT. A detailed overview of the use cases of IoT and top examples of IoT applications could help in evaluating the potential of IoT. The following post offers you a detailed outline of the top use cases of IoT, along with examples.

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Why Should You Learn about IoT Use Cases?

Before you find out a list of top IoT use cases, it is important to identify the reasons for emphasizing IoT right now. Internet of Things has found applications in different sectors, including smart home devices such as Amazon Echo devices and smart refrigerators. In addition, IoT applications in public utilities have been used for monitoring traffic, water and energy consumption. The impact of IoT on the world offers a clear reason to learn about its use cases. Some of the following statistics regarding the IoT market could provide more reasons to familiarize with IoT use cases. 

• The total number of IoT-connected devices in 2021 was around 10 billion, and almost 14 billion in 2022. Predictions suggest that the world will have more than 25 billion IoT-connected devices by 2025. 
• The total number of smart home device shipments could be more than 1.4 billion by 2025.
• Smart home device sales could cross $78 billion by 2023. 
• Market research forecasts indicate that the global IoT market could reach around $875 billion by 2025.
• Industrial IoT uses could contribute almost $14.2 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Internet of Things could create economic value ranging between $4 trillion to $11 trillion by 2025.
• The expenses on IoT solutions could reach $1.1 trillion in 2023.
• The IoT healthcare market alone has a value of around $158 million as of 2022.

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Most Popular Use Cases of IoT

The detailed overview of statistics regarding the IoT market proves why you need to learn about IoT use cases. You can find answers to “Which is the biggest uses of IoT?” across different industries. Let us take a look at how IoT influences operations in different industries with unique use cases.

• Healthcare

The first edition among industries with the best IoT use cases point at healthcare. Internet of Things can enable the foundations for various use cases, such as on-premise patient experience management and drug management. IoT can help in monitoring the existing load of emergency rooms and general practice rooms to reduce wait time. Healthcare facilities can use IoT for patient monitoring in the case of chronic diseases. For example, the use of fitness trackers and other wearables could offer real-time tracking of patient health. 

The examples of IoT uses in healthcare also draw attention to drug management for controlling the number of medications for patients. Apart from offering new dimensions to patient care, IoT can help in improving operational efficiency. Internet of Things applications, such as remote monitoring of medical hardware and smart beds, could support healthcare facilities in effective management. On top of it, IoT applications in healthcare also contribute plausible improvements in efficiency of staff operations.

• Manufacturing 

Another industry that has been actively adopting the uses of IoT refers to manufacturing. The foremost example of IoT applications in manufacturing refers to asset or fleet tracking within the supply chain. Manufacturing facilities could ensure real-time tracking of each supply chain component, including raw materials, finished goods and containers. As a result, IoT examples in manufacturing have proved successful in ensuring successful inventory management alongside lowering risks. 

The manufacturing industry has also adopted IoT use cases for preventive maintenance by monitoring manufacturing equipment and other devices on field. Predictive maintenance helps in identifying the ideal times for maintenance to avoid the costs of repair and replacement. 

Another significant value-based advantage of IoT use cases for manufacturing is the automation of production workflow. Most important of all, the top IoT use cases in manufacturing draw attention toward digital twins. The use of digital twins could help in evaluating equipment performance in real-time for identification of issues before deploying machines.

• Logistics

The applications of IoT in logistics could help complement the use cases of IoT in manufacturing. You can find the most prominent use case of IoT in logistics with fleet management functionalities. IoT can provide access to real-time information about vehicle fleets, thereby supporting effective monitoring of truck loads, driver performance and behavior. 

The answers to “Which is the biggest uses of IoT?” in logistics would also point to smart inventory management and supply chain management. Access to real-time information regarding the warehouse, production and distribution centers can help in optimizing storage spaces. The optimization of stocking levels can help in ensuring effective management of limited storage space. At the same time, IoT can drive efficient supply chain management operations through tracking and authentication of products and assets. 

• Transportation 

The efficiency of IoT applications in logistics also provides opportunities for leveraging IoT in the transportation industry. The best IoT use cases in transportation focus on ensuring effective fleet management of buses, trucks, cars and bikes. As the demand for vehicle rental applications such as Uber continues increasing, IoT could offer new avenues for efficient operations. Internet of Things helps in comprehensive monitoring of vehicle location alongside other details such as tire pressure. 

The IoT examples in transportation could provide a viable impression of leveraging Internet of Things in predictive maintenance of vehicle fleets. At the same time, detailed insights into driver behavior and performance offer viable inputs for business decisions. Transportation companies could also use IoT for effective navigation by identifying the ideal route for travel in different traffic conditions.

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• Energy and Utility 

The list of popular IoT applications would also draw the limelight on IoT use cases in energy and utility sectors. Prominent examples of IoT uses in energy and utility monitoring includes solar or wind monitoring alongside facilitating solar or wind control. IoT can support monitoring of solar and wind energy generation infrastructure for timely failure detection and ensuring optimal energy efficiency. Internet of Things could support use cases in water monitoring for efficient monitoring of water levels, pressure, salinity, turbidity and other factors. 

The applications of IoT in the energy sector also include connected meters and circuit breakers. Connected meters could help in monitoring and optimizing energy infrastructure through automated billing and detection of issues. On the other hand, connected circuit breakers could help in efficient metering and analysis of power usage. Another promising use case of IoT in the energy sector refers to real-time monitoring of electricity poles for predictive maintenance.

• Public Sector

The most noticeable and widely adopted use cases of IoT have emerged in the public sector domain. You can find top IoT use cases in the public sector with examples of smart cities. Internet of Things can facilitate public space surveillance alongside road and traffic management. With the help of data obtained through security or CCTV camera feeds, IoT systems could optimize the use of public spaces. 

IoT systems could also guide improvements in organization of traffic systems to ensure smoother traffic flow. Public transportation monitoring management alongside disaster prevention also qualifies as the most valuable IoT use cases in smart cities. Most important of all, IoT use cases could also open avenues for efficient waste management through monitoring of garbage disposal areas. 

• Agriculture 

The responses to “Which is the biggest uses of IoT?” would also shed light on IoT applications in agriculture. Farmers could use environmental sensors to obtain real-time insights into weather and climate conditions. For example, timely access to data about humidity and soil conditions could help farmers in making better decisions. 

The uses of IoT in agriculture could also help in ensuring security of farms from unwanted intrusions. As a result, IoT could serve promising improvements in agricultural efficiency. One of the popular examples of IoT applications in agriculture is evident in the use of smart irrigation for kiwifruit farming in Italy. The Italian company FAMOSA, which specializes in technology-based agriculture support services, created wireless sensor networks for developing precise irrigation strategies.

• Retail 

The discussions about best IoT use cases also include the applications of Internet of Things in retail sector. IoT could help in facilitating the advantages of automated checkout through portable POS terminals. Internet of Things technologies such as connected cameras, shelf sensors, AI and smart store sensors could help in improving shopper experience. In addition, insights into shopper experience in the store could support the development of store layouts with better organization. 

The IoT examples in retail sector with automated packaging services and inventory monitoring could provide effective routes for optimizing storage management. In addition, retail sector could also capitalize on the advantages of IoT for inventory management and supply chain optimization. You can also capitalize on the use cases of IoT for predictive maintenance to ensure efficient and optimized store operations.

• Real Estate

The applications of IoT in real estate present the foundations for building smart homes. Internet of Things applications in real estate includes air quality monitoring, waste management and predictive maintenance. Effective monitoring of air quality could help in improving tenant safety, while predictive maintenance supports real-time monitoring of building assets. Another interesting example of IoT use cases in real estate points at remote lighting control, which can improve energy efficiency. Similarly, remote temperature control mechanisms with IoT could also improve the experience of residents in a home.

Smart devices could also play a vital role in improving lifestyle and living experiences with lower costs. The top IoT use cases in real estate would also point to smart security devices such as connected locks and video surveillance. On top of it, IoT can also facilitate real-time monitoring of occupancy density and use of essential utilities.

• Hospitality 

The use cases of IoT in real estate could also complement the facility of innovative solutions in the hospitality sector. Hospitality business owners could utilize IoT to improve energy efficiency alongside reduction of operational costs. Most important of all, IoT uses in hospitality sector could also serve crucial advantages for customer experiences. Examples of Internet of Things applications include smartphone applications that allow customers to control lighting and other utilities in hotel rooms. 

In addition, the uses of IoT in hospitality sector also draw attention to delivery of virtual concierge services and information services. The technological acumen of hospitality businesses through IoT adoption can help in improving user trust. At the same time, enhanced maintenance services through IoT applications can also serve as crucial benefits for hospitality businesses. 

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Conclusion 

The detailed outline of the use cases of IoT in different industries proves the potential of IoT for changing the future. In the long run, businesses have to recognize the need to adapt their existing models to IoT. The applications of IoT in real-time monitoring of assets, security and predictive maintenance serve as prominent reasons for encouraging IoT adoption. 

You can utilize IoT not only for transforming existing business models but also introducing innovation. On top of it, possibilities for integration of other technologies, such as blockchain and AI with IoT, create new opportunities. Learn more about Internet of Things and its role in fuelling business model innovation with trusted learning resources now.