You may already be aware of the “Internet of Things.” It’s a recent concept that describes the way more devices in your home are going online so you can access their information and send them instructions from a smartphone or home computer. Thanks to the Internet of Things, you can check your refrigerator contents, look at your security footage, or set your oven to preheat while you’re at work.
However, the Internet of Things is affecting more than just households. The connectivity it offers is incredibly useful in industrial settings like factories and warehouses. Storage containers can come with small devices that broadcast its location and contents. Drones can provide aerial views to improve security and inspect dangerous areas at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter. Augmented reality glasses can interact with devices and give operators detailed, 3D instructions on how to inspect or repair a machine.
Unfortunately, all of these devices need bandwidth to send their information, and so the industrial sites that use them need a high-speed internet connection to make them work. That means finding a location with fiber lines ready to go, which is why internet providers in San Antonio are expanding their fiber connections throughout the residential and industrial zones of the city.
This infrastructure expansion isn’t the most exciting aspect of the new internet, but it’s absolutely essential to any company that wants to take full advantage of these new technologies. Internet providers in San Antonio and elsewhere are taking part in these new developments by allowing them to grow through major American cities, although to help some industries these providers will need to expand out into the countryside.
While many commercial and high-tech industries need fast connections and strong infrastructure to keep their businesses going, other industries that deal in physical resources like plastics and shipping are going to need strong connections of their own to make use of the Internet of Things. Internet providers in San Antonio are already laying fiber-optic cables to deliver gigabit speeds to residential and commercial zones, but it won’t be long before industrial areas will demand the same high speeds as tech companies.