It can be difficult to connect multiple devices because the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged with various, occasionally exclusive, designs. Due to incompatibility with other products, this can also lead to vendor lock-in, where users are restricted to using just a specific company’s products. By standardizing the IoT, the Web of Things seeks to address these problems.
What is the Web of Things?
Researchers first proposed the idea of the Web of Things in or around 2007. Since then, companies like Siemens, Mozilla, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) have embraced and pushed it. To specify the rules that ought to regulate the Web of Things, several organizations have formed interest groups. One such example is the Web Thing Model, which is a standardized method of presenting data on a tangible or virtual object, or “Thing.”
The teams working on the Web of Things have announced several additional standards in addition to the Web of Things model. These consist of the WoT Binding Templates, WoT Scripting API, WoT Architecture, and WoT Thing Description. These are all the essential elements that comprise the design of the Web of Things.
IoT vs WoT
There are several significant distinctions between the Internet of Things and the Web of Things, although they both effectively connect smart devices via the Internet. The functions that each one performs and the implementations that go along with it establish these distinctions.
The layer at which each creates device interconnectivity is the primary distinction between IoT and WoT. IoT just addresses the network layer between devices in this scenario. In other words, a transport medium is available for communication on each device. Using a highway as an illustration, IoT is the route that vehicles take to get from one point to another.
It serves only as a means of moving information from one place to another. How data moves over it or what it plans to do once it gets there are not important considerations. As a result, IoT by itself is unable to assist in directing information to its intended location or coordinating among various data sources. This is where the limitations of IoT start to show.
WoT is considered the application layer as opposed to the network layer solutions of IoT. From a conceptual and functional standpoint, it sits atop IoT. Instead of trying to replace or outcompete IoT, WoT aims to improve it. To achieve this, it establishes common definitions and models for online device representation. The constructed pathways, traffic lights, and street signs that set the laws of the road are represented by WoT in the highway example. Its purpose is to create clear routes for data to go between locations and guarantee that the data is compliant with both its source and its destination.
From a technical standpoint, WoT allows devices to connect over the web utilising widely used technologies and standards, such as HTML 5.0 and Javascript. RESTful API designs are encouraged by the WoT paradigms, which are a popular Internet standard for application development.
To put it briefly, WoT transforms IoT from a concept into a complete architectural framework for communication between smart devices. It acts as a standard for improved communication between IoT-enabled devices.
Related: 5 Challenges Still Facing the Internet of Things: Step by Step Guide
WoT Architecture
The World Wide Web is made up of numerous dynamic architectural standards that are always changing. Numerous organisations have made contributions to the online of Things architecture, but the W3C, an organisation that sets online standards, is leading the charge. Several fundamental components form the basis of the W3C’s standardisation of WoT. The Scripting API, Security and Privacy Guidelines, Binding Templates, and Thing Description are these.
The foundation for how IoT devices, or “things,” can be included in WoT is the WoT Thing Description. The APIs and metadata that a thing must offer are specified in the thing description. This definition generates a metadata format that complies with the standard and is guaranteed to be machine-readable.
The protocols that IoT devices interact across are referred to as protocol bindings. As a result, the W3C works to create standard interfaces using binding templates for interacting with various protocols. These binding templates enable the modelling of distinct thing descriptions and their interaction with various existing communication protocols.
A standard programming language for implementing Thing communication over IoT is made available by the WoT Scripting API. The format of this API is JSON API. Although a device doesn’t need to use the Scripting API to be included in the WoT, it makes application porting across platforms easier.
Lastly, the Security and Privacy Guidelines are arguably WoT’s most significant feature. The Internet of Things does not specify any particular safety rules for apps, just as the Internet does not. Data security is more crucial than ever in a technological world when cyberattacks and compromised personal electronic security are growing threats.
When physical devices are connected to the Internet, this becomes particularly true. These gadgets can be directly linked to medical applications as well as residences and workplaces. For this reason, developers can adopt industry-standard safety measures in Internet-connected devices by following the Security and Privacy Guidelines, which have been outlined by W3C.
Despite its extensive intricacy, the WoT design is based on these fundamental ideas. The core structure of WoT is made up of these four elements.
WoT Use Cases and Applications
Considering how widely IoT is currently being used, one would ask whether there are any real-world applications for this more recent application layer. In actuality, there are a lot of commercial, residential, and industrial applications for WoT standards.
WoT will be accessed by a large number of people using smart home technology. A smart home’s fundamental requirement is for numerous gadgets to communicate with one another—either directly or via the cloud. Homeowners must be able to access smoke detectors, doors, security cameras, and thermostats. When interacting, WoT makes sure that all of these gadgets are speaking the “same language.”
Many of the exact same requirements still hold true in a business application. Smart factories and WoT-enabled production facilities can benefit from Internet-connected machinery. This enables remote production monitoring and automated manufacturing capabilities. Like security cameras and smoke detectors that keep families safe at home, this monitoring may likewise guarantee the safety of manufacturing conditions.
An open-ended, standardised Internet of connected things awaits us. The development of smart device technology can help towns, transportation, construction, logistics, and agriculture. Since these industries frequently overlap, the seamless functioning of the supply chain depends on the devices’ ability to communicate with one another. WoT makes sure that devices can easily interact between use cases as well as within them.
WoT Challenges
Although WoT aims to address numerous IoT issues, it is not without its difficulties. Of course, there are trade-offs to any technology, and there are never 100% advantages. This also applies to WoT.
Regarding WoT, security and privacy are the primary issues. Anything you publish online has the danger of being lost because of web application vulnerabilities, as was previously discussed. When there is a direct physical connection to the outside world, that risk increases even more. The Security and Privacy Guidelines published by the W3C provide best practices for reducing these risks. Nevertheless, since such standards are out to the public, there’s a chance that hackers will find ways to get around them. Furthermore, when numerous devices adhere to the same standard, each device is subject to the same vulnerability due to any flaw in the standard.
In addition to security, WoT devices may have inefficient energy use. Many equipment in a fully connected home or business will need to be powered by electricity all the time. It is imperative that the device operates continuously to enable activation whenever necessary. Naturally, this can be lessened by determining the peak times during which gadgets must be in use. However, in specific use cases—like safety and security systems.
Another possible point of failure is the requirement for continuous availability. Even if a device is always powered on, it may become unusable due to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. In a denial-of-service attack, cybercriminals bombard a device with signals in an attempt to overload its resources and prevent it from processing valid requests. As long as the attackers have the resources to keep sending queries, the attack has the potential to crash the devices or lock legitimate users out of their own devices.
The Future of WoT
The Internet of Things has brought about a radical change in how people view the kinds of gadgets that can be connected to the Internet. The idea that computers can’t communicate via the internet has evolved. Thanks to the Internet, machines, appliances, and equipment of many kinds can now be programmed to increase their usability. The emergence of the Web of Things has further expanded this ubiquitous paradigm shift.
The demand for standardised device communication increased along with the capabilities and adoption of smart devices. There is no indication that this expansion will stop as more and more gadgets are connected to the internet every day. In order to help the evolving world of smart gadgets converge on standard protocols for interconnectivity, WoT has stepped in.
You may be familiar with Matter, the newest standard designed to make connecting various smart home gadgets easier. This standardisation will contribute to the growth of WoT, one of the more widespread web technology trends.
The capabilities of these devices will grow as more device developers adopt the WoT architecture. Devices won’t be restricted to specific vendors, encouraging producer rivalry and innovation. This in and of itself will enable the efficient and reasonably priced continuation of the trends towards smart homes, businesses, factories, and cities.