The Internet of Things is the next industrial revolution. As a specialist for innovative lighting components and systems, Tridonic is convinced that lighting will play a decisive role in the Internet of Things (IoT). Therefore, Tridonic developed the toolbox net4more which will not only connect luminaires with each other, but deliver a value add that goes far beyond lighting. Where do we stand today?

Sometime in 2016 the number of connected devices will overtake the number of people on the planet for the first time. According to calculations by Gartner, the US market research company, last year around five billion devices were able to communicate via the Internet – whether smartphones or tablets, smart electricity meters, cars or factory machines. In 2016 the figure is expected to rise to between seven and eight billion. That's more than the 7.4 billion people currently living in the world. Analysts are already talking about 24 to 35 billion connected devices by 2020. This Internet of Things is expanding at the rapid pace of more than 40 percent per year. Market researchers from BI Intelligence expect total expenditure on hardware, application development and system integration to reach 6,000 billion dollars in the next five years.

The Internet of Things is booming because of the large number of applications and the added value for users. Smartphones can be used to shop online, check in for a flight or find your way round an unfamiliar city. Electricity meters automatically send energy consumption data; traffic lights, washing machines, cars and trains all give early warnings that they need servicing, and pc boards in factories tell assembly robots which components they should pick.