One of the best things about a Raspberry Pi is its simplicity. Since it first came to the market in 2012, it’s now the best-selling British computer of all time. You won’t need much experience (if any) to get started. And, with your Pi, even novice coders can make great projects come to life. Want to make your home a little smarter? A Pi can help you achieve that with the many various home automation or Internet of Things projects that are possible.
What is the Internet of Things?
It’s quite a broad term in its simplest form, but Internet of Things (IoT) covers pretty much any devices or gadgets that are connected to the internet in some way. It doesn’t matter if it’s a wi-fi connection or 4G – it all counts. More recently, though, the definition is moving more towards devices that talk to other. Think of what you can control with a smartphone app, for example.
And literally anything can constitute an IoT project when using your Raspberry Pi. You might be thinking about creating a 4K home media streaming centre. Or maybe a smart mirror with LED display will brighten up your morning? The flexibility and functionality of a Raspberry Pi offers a huge degree of potential for anyone with the ideas and determination to build something great.
Okdo co-founder Richard Curtin reveals that Pi could create an entire ecosystem when it comes to IoT and home automation projects. “And I think that the deployment of that will be much more prolific than it is now. It’s worth mentioning actually that, and you may or may not know this, but Okdo is at the forefront of artificial intelligence platforms for the technology market.”
Education and skills development
Of course, IoT projects do need some coding and robotic skills to bring the most creative ideas to life. While this can seem daunting, the advantage of a Pi is that it can help educate any user (regardless of experience) as you go. In the first instance, there are so many different tutorials and support articles to help you get started with IoT.
But education is one of Raspberry Pi’s over-arching aims. The company has its own foundation that is dedicated to putting the power of coding and computing into more hands. This means it is the ideal solution if you have an idea or interest that you want to bring to life. Pi doesn’t just make it happen. It’ll also equip you with the skills and confidence to do so.
Pi and IoT in a commercial sense
IoT projects built around the Raspberry Pi aren’t just for upskilling individuals of all ages. There is also a business case for commercial operations to start taking advantage of its capabilities. It is both a cost-effective and efficient approach to new projects – thanks to the Pi’s relatively low cost and ease-of-use. And it’s why some companies now integrate Pi into their R&D efforts.
The Raspberry Pi is a leading example of a Single Board Computer (SBC). Over the coming few years, it’s a market healthy growth is being predicted as IoT spending increases. There already are numerous of industries where this application is being embraced – including logistics, retail, transport; and automotive. The future of IoT with Pi at its core is definitely an encouraging one.