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IoT Glossary

296 Internet of Things terms defined in plain English, from actuator to zero trust, with cross-links between related concepts.

Browse by category: Fundamentals (20) · Hardware & devices (41) · Connectivity (34) · Protocols (31) · Platforms & cloud (28) · Data (20) · Security (30) · AI & analytics (24) · Industry (28) · Standards & bodies (20) · Business (20)

Network cables and servers in a data center rack

Photo: Taylor Vick / Unsplash

3

  • 3GPPThe partnership of telecom standards bodies that specifies cellular systems from GSM through 5G, including the IoT variants NB-IoT, LTE-M and 5G RedCap.

5

  • 5GThe fifth generation of cellular networks, defined by 3GPP, that adds very high throughput, low latency modes and massive device density on top of LTE-era IoT options.
  • 5G RedCapA reduced-capability 5G device profile from 3GPP Release 17 that cuts modem complexity and cost for mid-tier IoT such as cameras, wearables and sensors.

6

  • 6LoWPANAn IETF adaptation layer that compresses IPv6 headers and fragments packets so they fit in small IEEE 802.15.4 frames, giving low-power radios native IP.

A

  • AccelerometerA MEMS sensor that measures acceleration along one or more axes, used to detect motion, orientation, impacts, vibration and the direction of gravity.
  • Access Point Name (APN)The identifier a cellular device presents to the operator to select which gateway and IP network it should be connected to, often used to isolate IoT fleets.
  • ActuatorA component that turns an electrical command into a physical action, such as opening a valve, switching a relay or moving a motor.
  • AI agentSoftware that pursues a goal by observing its environment, reasoning about what to do and calling tools or devices to act, often built on a large language model.
  • AIoTThe combination of artificial intelligence with Internet of Things systems, so that connected devices and their data pipelines can learn, classify and decide rather than only measure and report.
  • AMQPThe Advanced Message Queuing Protocol, an open standard for reliable enterprise messaging with queues, exchanges and transactions, used mostly in IoT backends.
  • Analog-to-digital converter (ADC)A circuit that samples a continuous analog voltage and converts it into a digital number a processor can store, process and transmit.
  • Anomaly detectionIdentifying readings or patterns that deviate from what a system has learned to consider normal, without needing examples of every possible fault.
  • AntennaThe component that converts electrical signals into radio waves and back; its type, placement and tuning largely determine a wireless IoT device's range and reliability.
  • APIAn application programming interface: a defined contract through which software components request data or actions from one another.
  • Application layerThe top layer of an IoT architecture, where collected data is stored, analyzed and turned into dashboards, alerts, automations and business decisions.
  • ArduinoAn open-source ecosystem of microcontroller boards, a simplified C++ programming environment and libraries that lowered the barrier to building embedded devices.
  • Asset trackingUsing tags, sensors and networks to know the location and status of physical items such as pallets, tools, containers or equipment, indoors and outdoors.
  • Attack surfaceThe sum of all points where an attacker could try to enter or extract data from a system, including hardware ports, radio links, APIs and the supply chain.
  • AttestationA process in which a device produces cryptographic evidence of its state, such as measured firmware hashes signed by a hardware key, so a remote party can verify it has not been tampered with.
  • AuthenticationThe process by which a device, user or service proves its identity to another party, for example by presenting a certificate and signing a challenge.
  • AuthorizationDeciding what an authenticated device, user or service is allowed to do, such as which topics it may publish to or which devices it may command.
  • Automated guided vehicle (AGV)A driverless vehicle that moves materials around a factory or warehouse along defined routes, guided by markers, wires, lasers or onboard navigation.
  • AWS IoT CoreAmazon Web Services' managed service for connecting devices to the AWS cloud, with MQTT messaging, device identity, shadows and a rules engine.
  • Azure IoT HubMicrosoft's managed cloud service for bidirectional, authenticated communication between IoT devices and Azure applications.

B

  • BACnetAn ASHRAE and ISO standard for building automation that lets HVAC, lighting, access and metering equipment from different vendors share data and control.
  • BandwidthThe data-carrying capacity of a link, usually in bits per second, and a key constraint that decides which IoT radio and payload format a device can use.
  • Batch processingProcessing accumulated data in scheduled runs, such as nightly aggregation of a day's readings, rather than continuously as events arrive.
  • Battery lifeHow long a device can operate before its battery is exhausted or must be recharged, set by sleep current, how often it wakes and how much energy each transmission costs.
  • BeaconA small battery-powered Bluetooth transmitter that broadcasts an identifier at intervals so nearby phones or gateways can detect presence and estimate proximity.
  • Bill of materials (BOM)The complete list of components, parts and materials needed to build one unit of a hardware product, with quantities and usually unit costs.
  • BluetoothA short-range wireless standard maintained by the Bluetooth SIG, available in a classic high-throughput form and a low-energy form used by most IoT devices.
  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)The low-power branch of Bluetooth, designed for devices that exchange small packets infrequently and can run for months or years on a coin cell.
  • Bluetooth SIGThe Bluetooth Special Interest Group, the organization that develops the Bluetooth specifications, manages qualification and licenses the trademark to members.
  • BootloaderThe first code a device runs after reset, responsible for checking, loading and starting the main firmware and often for installing updates.
  • Border routerA device that connects a low-power IPv6 mesh such as Thread to a conventional IP network, forwarding packets rather than translating protocols.
  • BotnetA network of compromised devices under an attacker's remote control, used to launch attacks, send spam or mine cryptocurrency without the owners' knowledge.
  • BrokerThe server in a publish-subscribe system that receives messages from publishers, matches them to subscriptions and delivers them, decoupling devices from applications.
  • Building automation system (BAS)The control system that operates a building's heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting and related equipment according to schedules, setpoints and sensor inputs.

C

  • CBORConcise Binary Object Representation, an IETF binary format with the JSON data model but far smaller encoding, designed for constrained devices and protocols.
  • CE markingThe manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the applicable European Union requirements, which for connected devices include radio, electrical safety, EMC and cybersecurity rules.
  • Cellular IoTIoT connectivity delivered over mobile operator networks and licensed spectrum, from NB-IoT and LTE-M up to LTE and 5G, using a SIM for identity.
  • Cloud computingOn-demand computing, storage and services delivered over the internet from shared data centers, billed by use rather than owned outright.
  • CoAPThe Constrained Application Protocol, an IETF standard that brings REST-style request and response to tiny devices over UDP with very small headers.
  • Coin cellA small disc-shaped battery, typically a lithium CR2032 or similar, that powers very low-power IoT devices for months or years without replacement.
  • Cold chain monitoringTracking the temperature, and sometimes humidity and light, of perishable goods such as food, vaccines and chemicals throughout storage and transport.
  • CommissioningThe on-site steps that take an installed IoT device from powered-on to working as intended, including network joining, configuration and verification.
  • Computer visionThe field of extracting information from images and video with software, from reading a gauge to tracking people and vehicles.
  • Condition monitoringContinuously measuring parameters such as vibration, temperature or current on a machine to track its health and detect deterioration early.
  • Connected carA vehicle with built-in internet connectivity that exchanges data with the manufacturer, service providers and other vehicles for navigation, diagnostics, updates and safety.
  • Connected deviceAny product with a network interface that lets it send data, receive commands or be updated remotely, whether or not it is called an IoT device.
  • Connectivity management platformA service that lets an enterprise manage SIMs and cellular subscriptions for a device fleet: activation, data plans, usage monitoring and diagnostics.
  • Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA)The industry alliance, formerly the Zigbee Alliance, that develops and certifies Zigbee and Matter and runs the related product certification programs.
  • ContainerA lightweight, isolated package of an application and its dependencies that runs on a shared operating system kernel, used to deploy software to gateways and edge devices.
  • CVECommon Vulnerabilities and Exposures: a public catalog that assigns a unique identifier to each disclosed security vulnerability so it can be tracked across vendors and tools.
  • Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)A European Union regulation that sets mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, including IoT devices, across their entire lifecycle.

D

  • DashboardA visual display that brings together live and historical data from devices as charts, gauges, maps and alerts so people can see the state of a system at a glance.
  • Data governanceThe policies, roles and processes that define who owns data, how it is classified, who may access it, how long it is kept and how its quality is maintained.
  • Data ingestionThe stage of a pipeline that receives data from devices, validates and normalizes it, and hands it to storage or processing reliably and at scale.
  • Data lakeA central store that keeps raw data in its original format at low cost, so it can be processed in different ways later without having been modeled first.
  • Data pipelineThe chain of stages that carries device data from ingestion through storage and processing to the applications and people who act on it.
  • Data retentionThe policy that defines how long each kind of data is kept at each resolution before it is downsampled, archived or deleted.
  • Data sovereigntyThe principle that data is subject to the laws of the country where it is collected or stored, and the practice of keeping it within chosen jurisdictions.
  • DDoSDistributed denial of service: flooding a target with traffic from many sources at once so that legitimate users cannot reach it.
  • DDSThe Data Distribution Service, an OMG standard for brokerless, peer-to-peer publish-subscribe with fine-grained quality of service, used in robotics and defense.
  • Deep learningA branch of machine learning that uses neural networks with many layers to learn features directly from raw signals such as images, audio or vibration.
  • Deep sleepA low-power state in which a microcontroller stops its main clocks and most peripherals, keeping only a timer or wake-up source alive to resume later.
  • Default credentialsFactory-set usernames and passwords that are identical across every unit of a product, which attackers can look up and use if the owner never changes them.
  • Demand responsePrograms that reward electricity consumers for reducing or shifting their consumption when the grid is under stress, using signals sent to connected equipment.
  • Development boardA circuit board that exposes a microcontroller or processor with its pins, power supply and debug interface so engineers can prototype before designing custom hardware.
  • Device as a service (DaaS)A commercial model where the customer pays a recurring fee for a connected device bundled with connectivity, software, support and replacement, instead of buying the hardware outright.
  • Device identityA unique, verifiable credential, usually a cryptographic key pair and certificate, that lets a device prove to a platform which device it is.
  • Device lifecycleThe stages an IoT device passes through from design and manufacture to provisioning, operation, updates and eventual decommissioning.
  • Device managementThe set of functions that keep a fleet of devices provisioned, configured, monitored, updated and eventually retired across their whole lifecycle.
  • Device registryThe authoritative list of devices known to a platform, with each device's identity, credentials, attributes and current status.
  • Device shadowA cloud-side JSON document that stores the last reported and desired state of a device so applications can interact with it even when it is offline.
  • Digital twinA living digital representation of a physical asset, process or system, kept in sync with its real counterpart through sensor data.
  • Distributed control system (DCS)A control architecture for continuous processes in which many controllers, each handling part of the plant, are coordinated through a shared network and operator system.
  • DownsamplingReducing the resolution of a time series by replacing groups of readings with a summary such as an average, minimum or maximum over each interval.
  • DTLSDatagram Transport Layer Security, the adaptation of TLS for UDP that secures CoAP, LwM2M and other datagram protocols on constrained devices.
  • Duty cycleThe fraction of time a device or signal is active rather than idle; used for PWM outputs, radio transmission limits and the sleep-wake pattern of low-power devices.

E

  • Edge AIRunning machine learning inference directly on or near the device that produces the data, instead of sending everything to a cloud service first.
  • Edge analyticsRunning analysis on data at or near its source, on a device or gateway, so that only results, summaries or exceptions are sent onward.
  • Edge computingProcessing data close to where it is produced, on the device or a nearby gateway, rather than sending everything to a central cloud.
  • Edge deviceA device located near the data source that processes, filters or analyzes data locally before sending results onward, rather than forwarding raw data to the cloud.
  • Edge gatewayA device at the boundary of a local network that bridges field protocols to IP, runs local processing and forwards selected data to the cloud.
  • EncryptionTransforming data with a key so that only parties holding the right key can read it, protecting confidentiality both on the wire and in storage.
  • End-to-end encryptionEncryption where data is protected from the originating device to its final recipient, so that intermediaries such as brokers, gateways and cloud services cannot read it.
  • EndpointThe terminating point of a communication path in an IoT system, usually the device itself or the service address it connects to.
  • Energy harvestingPowering a device from ambient sources such as light, vibration, heat or radio waves instead of, or alongside, a battery.
  • Energy management system (EMS)Software that monitors, analyzes and controls energy use across a site, building or grid segment, often coordinating generation, storage and flexible loads.
  • Environmental monitoringMeasuring air, water, soil, noise and weather conditions with distributed sensors to track pollution, support compliance and understand local conditions over time.
  • eSIMA SIM whose operator profile can be downloaded and switched remotely, available as an embedded soldered chip or, confusingly, also as a removable card.
  • ESP32A family of low-cost wireless system-on-chip microcontrollers from Espressif with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, widely used in IoT products and hobby projects.
  • EtherCATAn industrial Ethernet protocol in which a single frame passes through every device in a line, each reading and writing its data on the fly for very fast, synchronized control.
  • EthernetThe wired LAN standard, IEEE 802.3, that gives industrial controllers, gateways and cameras a fast, deterministic and interference-free connection.
  • ETLExtract, transform, load: the batch pattern of pulling data from sources, cleaning and reshaping it, and loading it into a warehouse or database for analysis.
  • ETSIThe European Telecommunications Standards Institute, a standards body whose work includes the consumer IoT security baseline EN 303 645 and a founding role in oneM2M and 3GPP.
  • ETSI EN 303 645A European standard defining baseline cybersecurity provisions for consumer IoT devices, widely used as the reference for labels and regulation worldwide.
  • Event-driven architectureA design in which components communicate by producing and reacting to events, decoupled through brokers or queues, rather than calling each other directly.

F

  • FCC certificationAuthorization from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that a device's radio emissions meet its rules, required before a transmitter can be sold in the United States.
  • Federated learningA training approach where devices improve a shared model locally and send only parameter updates to a server, so raw data never leaves the device.
  • FirmwareThe software stored in a device's non-volatile memory that controls its hardware directly, from boot code to the application logic of an IoT product.
  • Flash memoryNon-volatile solid-state storage that keeps firmware, configuration and buffered data without power, with limited write endurance that device designs must respect.
  • Fleet managementOperating a large population of deployed devices as a whole: grouping, monitoring health, scheduling updates and acting on anomalies at scale.
  • Fog computingAn architecture that places compute, storage and networking in an intermediate layer between edge devices and the cloud, often across many local nodes.

G

  • GatewayA device that bridges local IoT devices to a wider network, translating between protocols and often filtering or processing data on the way.
  • Generative AIModels that produce new content, such as text, images, code or synthetic sensor data, rather than only classifying or predicting from existing inputs.
  • GPIOGeneral-purpose input/output pins on a microcontroller or processor that firmware can read as digital inputs or drive as outputs to interact with external components.
  • GSMAThe trade association of mobile network operators that defines industry specifications such as eSIM remote provisioning and promotes cellular IoT deployment.

H

  • Hardware security module (HSM)A tamper-resistant device or cloud service that generates, stores and uses cryptographic keys without ever exposing them, typically protecting a PKI's root and signing keys.
  • HeartbeatA small periodic message a device sends to show it is still alive and reachable, so a platform can detect silent failures and lost connections.
  • Home AssistantAn open-source home automation platform that runs locally, integrates thousands of devices and services, and keeps control and data inside the home.
  • HTTPThe web's request-response protocol, widely used by IoT devices that have enough resources to call a REST API, at the cost of verbose headers and no server push.
  • Human-machine interface (HMI)The screen, panel or application through which an operator monitors and controls a machine or process, typically connected to a PLC or SCADA system.
  • HVACHeating, ventilation and air conditioning: the equipment and controls that regulate temperature, air quality and humidity in a building, usually its largest energy load.

I

  • I2CA two-wire serial bus that lets a microcontroller talk to several sensors and peripherals over shared clock and data lines, each identified by an address.
  • IECThe International Electrotechnical Commission, the standards body for electrical and electronic technology, responsible for standards from industrial security (IEC 62443) to functional safety.
  • IEC 62443A series of international standards for the security of industrial automation and control systems, covering asset owners, integrators and product suppliers.
  • IEEE 802.15.4The IEEE standard for low-rate wireless personal area networks that defines the radio and medium access layers used by Zigbee, Thread, 6LoWPAN and Wi-SUN.
  • IETFThe Internet Engineering Task Force, the open standards body that publishes the RFCs defining internet protocols, including several designed for constrained IoT devices.
  • Industrial IoT (IIoT)The use of connected sensors, controllers and analytics in manufacturing, energy, utilities and other industrial settings, where reliability and safety come first.
  • Industry 4.0A framework for digitized manufacturing in which machines, products and systems exchange data and coordinate with limited human intervention.
  • Inertial measurement unit (IMU)A sensor package combining an accelerometer and gyroscope, sometimes with a magnetometer, to measure motion, orientation and vibration in a single chip.
  • InferenceThe act of running a trained machine learning model on new data to produce a prediction, classification or score.
  • Internet of Things (IoT)The network of physical objects fitted with sensors, software and connectivity so they can collect data, exchange it and be acted on remotely.
  • InteroperabilityThe ability of devices, platforms and applications from different vendors to exchange data and work together without custom integration.
  • IoT business modelThe way a company earns money from a connected product, for example by selling hardware, charging subscriptions for services, or being paid for measured outcomes.
  • IoT deviceA physical product that combines sensing or actuation, local processing and a network interface so it can exchange data with other systems.
  • IoT moduleA pre-certified, ready-to-solder package containing a radio chip, antenna matching, power circuitry and firmware, which a product uses as its connectivity block.
  • IoT platformA software layer that connects devices, ingests their data, manages them over time and exposes everything to applications through APIs.
  • IoT securityThe practices and technologies that protect connected devices, their data and the systems behind them from unauthorized access, tampering and disruption.
  • IPv6The current version of the Internet Protocol, with 128-bit addresses that make it possible to give every sensor a globally unique address without translation.
  • iSIMAn integrated SIM: the SIM function implemented inside a secure enclave of the cellular modem's own system-on-chip, removing the separate SIM component entirely.
  • ISM bandLicense-free radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific and medical use, where Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and LoRa all operate.
  • ISO/IEC 30141The international standard that defines a reference architecture for IoT systems, giving a common vocabulary, domains and viewpoints for describing them.

J

  • JSONJavaScript Object Notation, a human-readable text format for structured data that is the default payload in most IoT APIs and many device messages.

K

  • Key performance indicator (KPI)A measurable value chosen to show whether a system, process or business is achieving its objective, computed from underlying data on a regular basis.
  • Keyword spottingA small always-on audio model that listens for a specific word or phrase, such as a wake word, and triggers a larger process only when it hears it.
  • KNXAn open standard for home and building control, ISO/IEC 14543-3, in which devices communicate over a twisted-pair bus, powerline, radio or IP.

L

  • Large language model (LLM)A neural network trained on very large text corpora that can understand and generate language, and increasingly also call tools and interpret structured data.
  • Last Will and TestamentA message a client registers with an MQTT broker when connecting, which the broker publishes on the client's behalf if the connection drops unexpectedly.
  • LatencyThe delay between an event and its effect across a network, such as a sensor reading reaching a server or a command reaching an actuator.
  • LiDARA sensing method that measures distance by timing reflected laser pulses, producing precise range readings or full 3D point clouds of the surroundings.
  • Link budgetThe accounting of all gains and losses between a transmitter and a receiver, in decibels, that determines whether a radio link will work at a given distance.
  • LoRaA chirp spread spectrum radio modulation, owned by Semtech, that gives long range and strong interference resistance at very low data rates.
  • LoRa AllianceThe nonprofit association that develops the LoRaWAN specification, certifies devices and coordinates the ecosystem of network operators and manufacturers.
  • LoRaWANAn open LPWAN protocol from the LoRa Alliance that runs over the LoRa radio and lets battery sensors send small messages over kilometers to shared gateways.
  • LPWANLow-power wide-area network, a class of radio technologies that send small messages over long distances from devices that run for years on a battery.
  • LTE-MA 3GPP cellular standard, also called Cat-M1, that gives IoT devices moderate bandwidth, mobility and voice support at lower power than regular LTE.
  • LwM2MLightweight Machine-to-Machine, an OMA SpecWorks protocol over CoAP that standardizes device management, firmware updates and telemetry for constrained devices.

M

  • Machine learningA set of techniques that let software learn patterns from example data and apply them to new inputs, rather than following rules written by hand.
  • Machine-to-machine (M2M)Direct communication between devices without human involvement, the term used for connected machines before the broader idea of IoT took hold.
  • Manufacturing execution system (MES)Software that tracks and manages production on the factory floor, from work orders and material flow to quality data and machine performance.
  • MatterAn open smart home application standard, maintained by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, that lets devices from different brands work with any compatible controller over IP.
  • Medical IoT (IoMT)Connected medical devices and the systems around them, from wearable monitors and infusion pumps to hospital asset trackers, used to collect data and support care.
  • Mesh networkA network topology in which devices relay traffic for one another, so coverage grows with every added node and no single link has to reach the gateway.
  • Message queueA buffer that stores messages from producers until consumers are ready, smoothing bursts and letting components fail or scale independently.
  • MetadataData that describes other data: which device sent a reading, in what unit, with which firmware, at what location and under which schema version.
  • Microcontroller (MCU)A single chip combining a processor core, memory and peripherals, designed to run one dedicated program with low power and no operating system required.
  • Microprocessor (MPU)A processor chip without built-in program memory that relies on external RAM and storage, and typically runs a full operating system such as Linux.
  • MiddlewareSoftware that sits between devices, platforms and applications to translate protocols, route messages and provide common services so components need not know each other's details.
  • Minimum viable product (MVP)The smallest version of a product that real customers can use and pay for, built to learn what they actually need before investing in the full feature set.
  • miotyAn LPWAN technology standardized by ETSI that splits each message into many small sub-packets sent on different frequencies, improving reliability in crowded spectrum.
  • MiraiMalware that infected large numbers of consumer IoT devices by logging in with factory default credentials and used them for very large DDoS attacks in 2016.
  • MLOpsThe engineering practices for taking machine learning models from training to deployment and monitoring them in production, including on fleets of edge devices.
  • ModbusA simple, open master-slave protocol from 1979 that reads and writes numbered registers over serial lines or TCP, still ubiquitous in industrial equipment.
  • Model driftThe gradual loss of a deployed model's accuracy because the data it sees in production no longer matches the data it was trained on.
  • Model trainingThe process of fitting a machine learning model to example data by iteratively adjusting its parameters to reduce prediction error.
  • MQTTA lightweight publish-subscribe messaging protocol over TCP in which devices send messages to topics on a broker, which forwards them to interested subscribers.
  • MQTT-SNA variant of MQTT for sensor networks that runs over UDP or non-IP links, replaces topic strings with short IDs and lets devices sleep between messages.
  • MVNOA mobile virtual network operator: a company that sells cellular connectivity under its own brand using radio networks owned by other operators.

N

  • NB-IoTA 3GPP cellular standard for narrowband, low-power devices that need deep indoor coverage and send small amounts of data over licensed spectrum.
  • Near-field communication (NFC)A short-range wireless technology, derived from high-frequency RFID, that lets two devices exchange small amounts of data when brought within a few centimeters.
  • Network layerThe layer of an IoT architecture that carries data between devices and the systems that process it, spanning radio links, gateways and the internet.
  • Network segmentationDividing a network into isolated zones so that devices in one zone cannot reach systems in another without passing through a controlled boundary.
  • Network slicingA 5G capability that partitions one physical network into virtual networks with their own performance, isolation and policies, each suited to a different use.
  • Neural networkA model built from layers of connected numerical units whose weights are adjusted during training so the network maps inputs to useful outputs.
  • Neural processing unit (NPU)A hardware accelerator specialized for the matrix and convolution operations of neural networks, delivering far more inferences per watt than a general-purpose CPU.
  • NISTThe U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, whose cybersecurity frameworks and IoT device guidance underpin federal procurement rules and the Cyber Trust Mark.
  • NodeAny addressable participant in a network, used in IoT for a single device that senses, relays or routes traffic within a larger topology.
  • Non-recurring engineering (NRE)The one-time cost of designing and developing a product, such as hardware design, firmware, tooling, certification and test fixtures, as distinct from per-unit production cost.

O

  • Object detectionA computer vision task that finds objects in an image and returns both a class label and a bounding box for each one.
  • ODMOriginal design manufacturer: a company that designs and builds products that other companies sell under their own brand, often from an existing platform with limited customization.
  • OEMOriginal equipment manufacturer: a company that makes products or components sold under its own brand, or supplied for integration into another company's product.
  • OMA SpecWorksThe standards organization behind LwM2M, the lightweight device management protocol for constrained IoT devices, formed from the Open Mobile Alliance and the IPSO Alliance.
  • oneM2MA global partnership standard that defines a common service layer for M2M and IoT platforms, so applications can use devices and networks through one set of interfaces.
  • OPC UAOpen Platform Communications Unified Architecture, an IEC 62541 standard for secure, vendor-neutral exchange of industrial data and information models.
  • Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF)An industry group that published a RESTful, CoAP-based framework for device-to-device interoperability, later adopted as an international standard.
  • Open standardsPublicly available specifications developed through an open process that anyone can implement, as opposed to proprietary interfaces controlled by a single company.
  • Open-source IoTIoT software, hardware designs and standards published under licenses that let anyone inspect, modify and redistribute them.
  • Outcome-based pricingA pricing model where the customer pays for a measured result, such as machine uptime, energy saved or shipments kept within temperature, rather than for devices or data.
  • Over-the-air (OTA) updateDelivering new firmware or software to a deployed device over its network connection instead of through physical access.
  • Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)A manufacturing metric that multiplies availability, performance and quality to show what share of planned production time a machine spent producing good parts at full speed.

P

  • PayloadThe actual data carried inside a message or packet, as distinct from the headers and framing added by the protocol to deliver it.
  • Penetration testingAn authorized, simulated attack on a device, application or network carried out to find exploitable weaknesses before a real attacker does.
  • Perception layerThe lowest layer of an IoT architecture, where sensors, actuators and tags interact directly with the physical world.
  • Pilot purgatoryThe common situation where an IoT project succeeds as a pilot but never scales to full deployment because the business case, integration or organization is not ready.
  • Power over Ethernet (PoE)A set of IEEE 802.3 standards that carry DC power and data over the same Ethernet cable, so a camera, access point or sensor needs no separate power supply.
  • Precision agricultureFarming practices that use sensing, positioning and data analysis to apply water, fertilizer and crop protection where and when they are needed rather than uniformly.
  • Predictive maintenanceUsing sensor data and models to estimate when a machine is likely to fail, so maintenance is scheduled before the failure rather than on a fixed calendar.
  • Private 5GA dedicated cellular network run for one organization on its own site, using licensed, shared or local spectrum, for control over coverage, latency and data.
  • PROFINETAn industrial Ethernet standard from PROFIBUS and PROFINET International that carries real-time control traffic between PLCs, drives and I/O over standard cabling.
  • Programmable logic controller (PLC)A ruggedized industrial computer that runs deterministic control logic for machines and processes, reading inputs and driving outputs in fixed scan cycles.
  • Proof of concept (PoC)A small, time-limited build that tests whether a specific idea or technology works before committing to a full product or deployment.
  • Protocol Buffers (protobuf)Google's schema-based binary serialization format, which encodes messages compactly and generates typed code, used by Sparkplug, gRPC and many IoT pipelines.
  • ProvisioningThe process of giving a new IoT device the identity, credentials and configuration it needs to connect securely to its platform for the first time.
  • PruningRemoving weights, neurons or whole channels that contribute little to a neural network's output, so the model becomes smaller and faster with limited accuracy loss.
  • PSTI ActThe UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, whose product security regime sets baseline requirements for consumer connectable products sold in the United Kingdom.
  • Public key infrastructure (PKI)The system of certificate authorities, policies and tools that issues, distributes, validates and revokes digital certificates binding public keys to identities.
  • Publish-subscribeA messaging pattern in which senders publish messages to named channels and receivers subscribe to those channels, so neither side needs to know the other.
  • Pulse-width modulation (PWM)A technique that controls power to a load by switching a digital output on and off rapidly and varying the fraction of time it stays on.

Q

  • Quality of Service (QoS)The delivery guarantee a messaging protocol provides per message; MQTT defines level 0 at most once, level 1 at least once and level 2 exactly once.
  • QuantizationReducing the numeric precision of a model's weights and activations, for example from 32-bit floating point to 8-bit integers, to cut memory use and speed up inference.

R

  • Raspberry PiA family of small single-board computers running Linux, used in IoT as gateways, edge devices and prototyping platforms, with compute modules for production.
  • Real-time operating system (RTOS)A small operating system for microcontrollers that schedules tasks with predictable timing, so firmware can handle sensing, communication and control concurrently.
  • Recurring revenueIncome that repeats at regular intervals, such as monthly subscriptions for connectivity, software or monitoring, as opposed to a one-time hardware sale.
  • Remote patient monitoring (RPM)The use of connected medical devices to collect a patient's vital signs or other health data at home and transmit it to clinicians for review.
  • REST APIAn HTTP interface organized around resources and standard methods, the usual way applications read device data and send commands to an IoT platform.
  • Retained messageAn MQTT message that the broker stores for its topic and delivers immediately to any new subscriber, so late joiners get the last known value.
  • Return on investment (ROI)The financial gain from a project relative to its cost, used to decide whether an IoT deployment is worth funding and to compare it with alternatives.
  • RFIDRadio-frequency identification: tags that return an identifier when energized or queried by a reader, enabling contactless tracking of items without a battery or line of sight.
  • Root of trustThe hardware or immutable code that a system trusts unconditionally and from which all other trust, such as boot verification and key storage, is derived.
  • Rugged deviceHardware engineered to keep working under shock, vibration, dust, moisture and temperature extremes, usually specified by IP ratings and standards such as MIL-STD-810.
  • Rule engineA platform component that evaluates incoming messages against user-defined conditions and triggers actions such as alerts, storage or function calls.

S

  • Sampling rateHow often a sensor measures or a device records a value, which sets both the fidelity of the data and the energy, bandwidth and storage it consumes.
  • Satellite IoTConnectivity for devices beyond terrestrial coverage, using dedicated satellite constellations or 3GPP non-terrestrial network extensions of NB-IoT and LTE.
  • SCADASupervisory control and data acquisition: software and hardware that monitors and controls industrial processes across sites from a central operator station.
  • ScalabilityThe ability of a system to handle growth in devices, data volume and users without a redesign, a disproportionate rise in cost, or a loss of reliability.
  • SDKA software development kit: libraries, tools, samples and documentation that let developers build against a platform or hardware without starting from scratch.
  • Secure bootA boot process in which each stage verifies the cryptographic signature of the next before running it, so only firmware signed by the manufacturer executes.
  • Secure elementA tamper-resistant chip that stores cryptographic keys and performs operations such as signing inside protected hardware, so secrets never leave the chip.
  • SensorA component that converts a physical quantity such as temperature, vibration or light into an electrical signal a device can read and transmit.
  • Sensor fusionCombining data from several sensors so the result is more accurate, complete or reliable than any single sensor could provide on its own.
  • ServerlessA cloud execution model where code runs in short-lived functions triggered by events, with the provider managing servers and scaling to zero when idle.
  • Service level agreement (SLA)A contract clause that defines the measurable service a provider commits to, such as uptime, latency or response time, and what happens when it is not met.
  • Side-channel attackAn attack that extracts secrets by observing physical effects of computation, such as power consumption, timing or electromagnetic emissions, rather than by breaking the algorithm.
  • SigfoxAn ultra-narrowband LPWAN technology and operator network model in which devices send very small messages a limited number of times per day.
  • SIMThe subscriber identity module, a secure chip that holds the credentials a device uses to authenticate on a mobile network, in removable card or soldered form.
  • Smart agricultureThe application of connected sensors, automation and data analysis across farming, from field crops and livestock to greenhouses and irrigation.
  • Smart buildingA commercial or public building whose HVAC, lighting, access, metering and occupancy systems are connected and coordinated to reduce energy use and improve comfort.
  • Smart cityA city that uses connected sensors and data platforms to run services such as lighting, parking, waste collection, traffic and environmental monitoring more efficiently.
  • Smart factoryA production facility where machines, materials and systems are instrumented and connected so operations can be monitored, analyzed and adjusted in near real time.
  • Smart gridAn electricity network that uses sensing, communication and control to balance supply and demand, integrate distributed generation and detect faults automatically.
  • Smart homeA residence where lighting, heating, security, appliances and media are connected and can be controlled or automated through apps, voice assistants or local hubs.
  • Smart lightingLighting systems whose fixtures can be controlled, dimmed, scheduled and monitored over a network, in homes, buildings and on streets.
  • Smart meterA utility meter for electricity, gas, water or heat that records consumption at intervals and reports it over a network, enabling remote reading and demand-side services.
  • Smart objectA physical object with embedded computing, sensing and communication that can identify itself, record its state and interact with other objects or services.
  • Smart parkingSensors and data services that detect whether parking spaces are occupied and guide drivers to free spots, reducing search time and supporting enforcement.
  • Smart retailThe use of connected devices in stores and supply chains to track inventory, understand customer movement and automate checkout, pricing and replenishment.
  • Software bill of materials (SBOM)A machine-readable inventory of every software component, library and version contained in a product, used to track vulnerabilities and license obligations.
  • SparkplugAn Eclipse Foundation specification that defines topic structure, payload encoding and state management for MQTT in industrial settings, so tools can interoperate.
  • SPIA fast synchronous serial interface with separate data lines in each direction and a chip-select line per peripheral, used for displays, flash memory, radios and sensors.
  • Spreading factorA LoRa parameter, from SF7 to SF12, that sets how long each symbol lasts and therefore trades data rate and airtime against range and sensitivity.
  • Star topologyA network layout in which every device talks directly to one central point, such as an access point, gateway or cell tower, with no device-to-device relaying.
  • Stream processingContinuously computing over data as it arrives, event by event or in small windows, instead of waiting to process it in large batches.
  • Structural health monitoringInstrumenting bridges, buildings, tunnels, dams and other structures with sensors to detect changes in their condition and support maintenance and safety decisions.
  • Sub-GHzRadio bands below 1 GHz, mainly 433, 868 and 915 MHz, favored by long-range, low-power IoT radios for their reach and wall penetration.
  • Supply chain visibilityKnowing where goods are, what condition they are in and when they will arrive at each step from supplier to customer, based on shared data rather than phone calls.
  • System integratorA company that designs, assembles, installs and often supports a complete solution from products made by others, taking responsibility for making the pieces work together.
  • System on chip (SoC)An integrated circuit that combines processor, memory, radio and peripherals on one die, reducing size, cost and power for connected devices.
  • System on module (SoM)A small ready-made circuit board carrying a processor, memory and power management that plugs into a custom carrier board to form a finished product.

T

  • TCPThe Transmission Control Protocol, the connection-oriented, reliable transport under HTTP, MQTT and TLS, which guarantees ordered delivery at the cost of overhead.
  • TelematicsThe collection and transmission of vehicle or asset location and operating data over a wireless link, used mostly for fleet management, insurance and compliance.
  • TelemetryThe automatic collection and transmission of measurements from remote devices to a central system, typically as a stream of timestamped values.
  • ThingIn IoT vocabulary, any physical object given an identity and a network presence, from a light bulb to a shipping container or a cow.
  • ThreadAn IPv6-based, low-power mesh networking protocol over IEEE 802.15.4 that gives every device a routable address and serves as a main transport for Matter.
  • Time to marketThe elapsed time from deciding to build a product to the moment customers can buy it, a key competitive and financial measure for hardware projects.
  • Time-series dataData made of values recorded with a timestamp, in order, such as temperature readings every minute, which is the natural shape of most IoT telemetry.
  • Time-series databaseA database optimized for storing and querying timestamped measurements at high write rates, with compression and time-based retention built in.
  • TinyMLMachine learning models small enough to run on microcontrollers with kilobytes of memory, typically for always-on sensing tasks at very low power.
  • TLSTransport Layer Security, the protocol that encrypts and authenticates TCP connections, protecting MQTT, HTTPS and other IoT traffic from eavesdropping and tampering.
  • TopicA hierarchical string label, such as building/floor2/room5/temperature, that routes a publish-subscribe message from publisher to the subscribers that match it.
  • Total cost of ownership (TCO)The full cost of an IoT deployment over its lifetime, including hardware, connectivity, cloud, installation, maintenance, support and decommissioning, not just the purchase price.
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM)A standardized security chip, specified by the Trusted Computing Group, that stores keys, records boot measurements and attests a device's software state.

U

  • U.S. Cyber Trust MarkA voluntary U.S. labeling program, overseen by the FCC, that lets consumer IoT products display a mark showing they meet defined cybersecurity criteria.
  • UARTA hardware block that sends and receives bytes as asynchronous serial data over two wires, the basis of classic serial ports, debug consoles and many modem interfaces.
  • UDPThe User Datagram Protocol, a connectionless transport that sends individual packets with no handshake, ordering or retransmission, favored by constrained IoT protocols.
  • UL 2900A series of standards from UL for testing the cybersecurity of network-connectable products, with specific parts for industrial systems and healthcare devices.
  • Ultra-wideband (UWB)A short-range radio technology that uses very wide, low-power pulses to measure distance to within centimeters, used for precise indoor positioning and secure access.

V

  • Vehicle-to-everything (V2X)Direct wireless communication between a vehicle and other vehicles, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians' devices and the network, mainly for safety and traffic efficiency.
  • Vendor lock-inDependence on one supplier's hardware, network, platform or data formats that makes switching so costly or disruptive that the customer effectively cannot leave.
  • VPNA virtual private network: an encrypted tunnel over a public network that makes remote devices or sites appear to be on one private network.
  • Vulnerability disclosureThe process by which security researchers report flaws to a manufacturer and the manufacturer acknowledges, fixes and communicates them, ideally under a published policy.

W

  • W3C Web of ThingsA set of W3C standards that describe IoT devices with a machine-readable Thing Description so applications can discover and interact with them regardless of protocol.
  • Watchdog timerA hardware counter that resets the device unless firmware periodically restarts it, recovering automatically from hangs and crashes in unattended systems.
  • WearableA body-worn connected device, such as a smartwatch, fitness band, patch or smart garment, that senses physiological or motion data and syncs it to a phone or cloud.
  • WebhookAn HTTP callback that a system sends to a URL you register when an event happens, pushing data instead of making you poll for it.
  • WebSocketA protocol that upgrades an HTTP connection into a persistent, full-duplex channel, letting servers push data to browsers, dashboards and devices in real time.
  • Wi-FiThe IEEE 802.11 family of wireless LAN standards, used by IoT devices that have mains power or need high throughput on a local network.
  • Wi-Fi AllianceThe industry association that certifies Wi-Fi products for interoperability and security and owns the Wi-Fi trademark; the IEEE writes the underlying 802.11 standards.
  • Wi-Fi HaLowA sub-GHz variant of Wi-Fi, standardized as IEEE 802.11ah, that trades throughput for longer range and lower power so it suits sensors and outdoor devices.
  • Wi-SUNA sub-GHz IPv6 mesh standard based on IEEE 802.15.4g, used by utilities and cities for smart meters, streetlights and other large outdoor networks.

X

  • X.509 certificateA standard digital document that binds a public key to an identity and is signed by a certificate authority, used by devices and servers to authenticate each other.

Z

  • Z-WaveA proprietary sub-GHz mesh protocol for home automation, known for strict interoperability certification and little interference with Wi-Fi.
  • Zero trustA security model that grants no implicit trust based on network location, verifying every device, user and request explicitly before allowing access.
  • ZigbeeA low-power mesh networking standard built on IEEE 802.15.4 and run by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, widely used in smart home lighting and sensors.

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