What is the 'Internet of Things'?

Question: What exactly is the "Internet of Things"?

Answer: As next big things go, the "Internet of Things" is big and the impact it's going to have — and in some cases is already having — on our daily lives will be dramatic.

It's essentially everyday physical objects that have built-in sensors, electronics, connectivity and machine-to-machine communication to enhance their usefulness.

These app-driven devices essentially will turn your smartphone into your "life's remote control."

Everything from health monitors to connected thermostats, lighting systems, power outlets, door locks, parking meters and connected cars can be considered IoT devices.

As an example, I have several Nest (https://nest.com) thermostats that allow me to monitor and control the temperature of my home from my smartphone, no matter where I am in the world.

Not only can it provide convenience, such as changing the temperature without having to get out of bed, you can cool down the house as you're heading home.

The thermostat learns your patterns so there's no programming necessary, and it can save energy based on whether you're home or not.

Using the built-in motion sensor, you can tell the thermostat to go to a pre-determined "away" temperature when it hasn't detected motion for a specified amount of time.

The machine-to-machine portion of the equation someday will allow your connected car to notify your connected thermostat that you're only 5 minutes away and start lowering the temperature automatically.

Among the most popular IoT devices currently in use are the countless fitness/health trackers (http://goo.gl/ETqCb4), like those from Fitbit, Jawbone and Garmin that look like sleek techy watches.

They can monitor your activity levels, track your heart rate, sleep patterns and lots of other data, which is helping millions focus on their health in unprecedented ways.

Wireless webcams long have been used as a personal security systems, but newer IoT technology such as the Canary (http://canary.is) home security system is a webcam on steroids.

A single device is capable of monitoring motion, sound, temperature, humidity and air quality, which you can monitor from your smartphone.

When you get an alert, you can pop open the app and turn on the HD camera, which also has night vision, to see what's going on; you become your own monitoring service.

Connected door locks such as the Lockitron Bolt (https://lockitron.com) allow you to remotely grant temporary access to someone standing at your door, while you're still at the office.

Connected doorbells such as the SkyBell (http://skybell.com) allow you see who's at the door from your smartphone, even if you aren't home.

Smart basketballs, tennis rackets and golf clubs (http://goo.gl/VooTNd) are providing real-time feedback, which can turn a smartphone into a virtual coach.

There are also connected home platforms like Wemo from Belkin (http://belkin.com/wemo) and SmartThings (http://www.smartthings.com) that give you control over just about everything in your home.

Tech titans Google and Apple recently have announced new platforms for the Internet of Things, so it's about to get even bigger.

Ken Colburn is the founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services, datadoctors.com. Ask any tech question at: https://facebook.com/DataDoctors or on Twitter @TheDataDoc.