5G will finally open the door for IoT.

Several ISP companies like Verizon have started laying the groundwork for getting 5G internet into homes across North America. When (not if) wireless home internet becomes the new normal, this would be the gateway to empowering all devices to connect. Currently, the largest hurdle with connecting any analogue device like a lightbulb, a thermostat, or even a computer is a long daisy-chain of connections. For example, in order for a lightbulb to connect, it has to use a bluetooth signal to connect to a control hub, then the control hub must wirelessly connect to the wireless router, then the wireless router connects to the internet receiver, then the internet receiver out to the ISP... you see my point. The abundance of required hardware is a troublesome factor in areas where wired connections aren't practical. For example, how do you remotely control a farm tractor, a streetlight, a self storage unit, or monitor livestock? 5G is promising to cut all these restraints by combining high speed connectivity and wireless convenience and bringing it to places where traditional connections just weren't practical. This is going to open up a plethora of new frontiers for pioneering IoT companies to explore exciting ways to connect our traditionally analogous assets and enable us to do things with IoT that haven't been done yet. It's going to be hard to predict what a 5G world will look like, but what we do know is that 5G is truly going to help us give voice to the world.