IOT101 · Introduction to the Internet of Things

Categories: Emerging Technology
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About Course

A plain-language tour of the Internet of Things: what a connected device is made of, how data flows from a sensor to a screen, and where IoT pays off for small businesses.

Explore · 4 hours · 4 lessons, a lab, an assessed assignment and a portfolio piece

Who it is for

Working adults and small-business teams who want to understand IoT before investing time or money in it.

Prerequisites

None; basic computer and web-browser skills are enough.

What you will be able to do

  • Describe the four layers of an IoT system (device, connectivity, platform, application) using a real example.
  • Identify at least three IoT use cases that fit a small business and the data each one produces.
  • Map the data flow of a simple connected device from sensor reading to dashboard.
  • Run and modify a simulated temperature-monitoring device in Wokwi without any hardware.

Lessons

  • Lesson 1 · What the Internet of Things really is
  • Lesson 2 · The four layers of an IoT system
  • Lesson 3 · IoT use cases and limits for small businesses
  • Lesson 4 · Lab and assignment

Lab: Your first simulated connected sensor

You open a ready-made ESP32 project in the Wokwi simulator, read a simulated temperature and humidity sensor, and watch the values in the serial monitor. You then change the alert threshold and the reading interval and document how the system behaves.

Free tools: Wokwi (free, in the browser)

Assessed assignment

Choose a small business you know (a bakery, a clinic, a gym, a small warehouse) and propose one IoT use case for it. Describe the problem, the sensor or device, how often it measures, where the data goes and who acts on it. Include a screenshot of your modified Wokwi simulation and your four-layer diagram. Finish with two risks or limits of your idea and how you would reduce them.

Criterion Weight What excellent work looks like
Business problem and fit 30% The problem is concrete, the IoT solution clearly addresses it and the value is stated in practical terms (time saved, loss avoided).
Four-layer architecture 25% Device, connectivity, platform and application layers are all identified and correctly connected.
Working simulation 25% The Wokwi project runs, reads the sensor and triggers the alert at the chosen threshold.
Risks and limits 20% At least two realistic risks (power, connectivity, privacy, cost) are named with sensible mitigations.

Portfolio piece

A one-page IoT use-case brief with a four-layer diagram and a working Wokwi simulation link saved in your project notes.

Self-paced, 12-month access. Questions are answered in writing through the student panel. A completion record is issued when you finish the course.

Next step

Continue with IOT102 · Electronics Basics for IoT · 4 hours · $28.00

Continue to the next course

Prefer the whole program? Program in IoT & Smart Systems · $378.00 (10% less than buying the courses separately)

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What Will You Learn?

  • Describe the four layers of an IoT system (device, connectivity, platform, application) using a real example.
  • Identify at least three IoT use cases that fit a small business and the data each one produces.
  • Map the data flow of a simple connected device from sensor reading to dashboard.
  • Run and modify a simulated temperature-monitoring device in Wokwi without any hardware.

Course Content

IOT101 · Introduction to the Internet of Things (4 h)
A plain-language tour of the Internet of Things: what a connected device is made of, how data flows from a sensor to a screen, and where IoT pays off for small businesses.

  • Lesson 1 · What the Internet of Things really is
  • Lesson 2 · The four layers of an IoT system
  • Lesson 3 · IoT use cases and limits for small businesses
  • Lesson 4 · Lab and assignment
  • IOT101 Assessment · Introduction to the Internet of Things
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