Episode 359: Meet the man who “invented” the IoT back in 1985

Episode 359: Meet the man who “invented” the IoT back in 1985

Author: Stacey Higginbotham, tech journalist February 17, 2022 Duration: 1:03:35

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has finally released its plans for securing the IoT, so we discuss what the plans are for a consumer-oriented cybersecurity label. We then give a quick update on the Sigfox receivership and Intel’s plan to purchase Tower Semiconductor before spending a large chunk of time on Apple’s AirTags and how ubiquitous and cheap trackers change the game for privacy. We share new subscription plan revenue data for the manufacturing sector and for IoT devices, and unsurprisingly the folks at Zuora are optimistic. We then share some details on Anthony Levandowski’s plans to build a peer-to-peer cellular network for self-driving vehicles that looks a lot like Helium, and a sad story about bionic eyes made by a company that is going out of business. We end by answering a listener question about smart controls for 220-volt or 240-volt outdoor heaters.

Apple is trying to prevent folks from abusing AirTags to stalk people.

Our guest this week is Peter Lewis, who was a co-founder of Cellular One and the originator of the term “Internet of Things.” Lewis coined the term and described the connection between wireless sensors, cellular networks, and the internet, all the way back in 1985 during a speech he gave to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 15th Annual Legislative Weekend in Washington, D.C. This week, you can hear the relevant segment of the speech and he shares why he was so eager to get things connected to the Internet 37 years ago. He also talks about what surprised him as the IoT really gained ground and discusses what he’s doing today. This is a great history lesson that everyone should know.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Peter Lewis, originator of the term “Internet of Things”
Sponsors: Somfy and Pantacor

  • What does NIST want for consumer IoT security? We tell you.
  • Who’s bidding for Sigfox?
  • Why Apple’s AirTags are such a problem
  • The IoT was created by a cellular executive to gain new subscribers
  • What the creator of the phrase “internet of things” didn’t see coming

The post Episode 359: Meet the man who “invented” the IoT back in 1985 appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.


For anyone trying to make sense of a world where everything from your thermostat to a factory floor is getting smarter, The Internet of Things Podcast-Stacey On IoT offers essential context. Veteran tech journalist Stacey Higginbotham, who brings her experience from Fortune, and co-host Kevin Tofel break down the weekly flood of news, separating genuine innovation from mere hype. Their analysis spans the entire connected ecosystem, diving into the gadgets in our homes, the sensors transforming industrial workspaces, and the complex enterprise systems tying it all together. This isn't just theoretical; it's a practical guide to the business and technology decisions shaping our networked future. You'll hear from a range of voices that have built and critiqued this landscape, including pioneers like Vint Cerf, insightful commentators like Om Malik, and practitioners from companies such as Amazon, AT&T, and IBM Watson. Listening to this podcast provides a crucial framework for understanding the real-world implications of connectivity, whether you're an industry professional, a curious developer, or simply someone wondering how all these "smart" things actually work-and what they mean for privacy, security, and daily life. It's the clear-eyed conversation you need to navigate the ever-expanding Internet of Things.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Internet of Things Podcast - Stacey On IoT
Podcast Episodes
Episode 387: Is Kickstarter still relevant for smart devices? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:23
This week we start off talking about the Federal Trade Commission suing a data broker for sharing sensitive location data. It’s a topic we’re following closely, in part because location information can’t be anonymized ev…
Episode 386: We question Nova Labs’ 5G deal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
Nova Labs, the company behind the decentralized Helium IoT network, has acquired FreedomFi, a company trying to build a decentralized 5G network. Kevin and I share our doubts about the value of a decentralized 5G network…
Episode 385: Google Cloud kills IoT Core and hearing aids get smart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:05
This week’s show kicks off with a whispered bang that Kevin will soon hear, thanks to the FDA approving over-the-counter hearing aids. We talk about what happened and what it means for innovation in wearables before then…
Episode 384: Here’s why Amazon really bought iRobot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:57
This week’s show kicks off with our discussion of Amazon’s planned acquisition of iRobot, the maker of Roomba robotic vacuums for $1.7 billion. We then talk about a survey from Parks Associates that indicates almost a th…
Episode 383: Meet Insteon’s new CEO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:28
Last week, we kicked off the podcast with a discussion on the Helium peer-to-peer IoT network, and this week we did the same thing. This time we dug into the disclosures that Helium didn’t actually have Lime or Salesforc…
Episode 382: Is Helium full of hot air? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:11
We start this week’s show with a deep dive into a popular post from this week about the Helium network. The report pointed out that Helium only made $6,500 in the month of June from data rates. We explain why that’s not…
Episode 381: Alexa and Qualcomm embrace ambient tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:38
This week’s show kicks off with our discussion of several announcements from Amazon’s Alexa Live developers’ conference held Wednesday. Alexa is getting several features as part of the launch of the Matter smart home int…
Episode 380: Here’s what we think with Wink on the blink [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:55
This week’s show comes to y’all from Paris and the English seaside, with Kevin and I wondering exactly what happened to Wink. We also offer options for the few remaining holdouts on the platform. We then discuss Hive’s d…
Episode 379: Lock down your smart home’s data [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:47
This week we continue discussing privacy and data protection with a focus on the smart home. I’d like to see a feature that lets us turn on privacy as needed on our devices, but Kevin doesn’t think that’s likely. For tho…
Podcast 378: Welcome to the industrial metaverse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:07
It’s been a minute since we’ve discussed the metaverse, but this week we cover Siemens’ deal with Nvidia to create the metaverse for the industrial IoT. It’s part of several announcements this week from Siemens that incl…