Difference between WSN and IoT network

[Anu_T]

What is the difference between a wireless sensor network and the Internet of Things network?

 

[tutankhamen]

For any Internet of things(IOT) system, internet has to be present. The sensors should send their information to the internet. This data will be processed in real time and a command may be isssued via Internet to the sensor based IoT system to perform a task. For example, an image processing sensor whenever sees a child at your door on thanksgiving, transmits the data to your phone and you may push a button to dispense a chocolate. If treats are over you may push a button that makes a speaker give a message. All this happens on Internet. WSNs on the contrary may or may not require internet to achieve their tasks.

A WSN is basically a sensor interfaced with a microcontroller based platform mainly for data collection. The on site memory on microcontroller board can be programmed to collect data in afternoon 1 - 2pm. They may route that data to a central node. For Example : In a fireforest prediction system, several sensor based platforms are laid throughout jungles in Sweden which collect data and route it to a central Node.

 

[SuzieJensen]

Wireless Sensor Networks is defined as an infrastructure-less wireless network to monitor physical or environmental conditions.

Internet of Things is defined as internet-connected objects that are able to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention.

 

[Beau Schwabe]

I tend to think of this as simply an additional layer of arbitration. Wireless or not this type of sensor will usually be on a local network. Where that same sensor could make it's way to the IoT through something like MQTT. Adding a MQTT layer would enable that sensor to be communicated anywhere in the world over a single machine or several thousand if not millions of machines.

 

[amliakatherine]

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are like the eyes and ears of the Internet of Things. It is the bridge that connects the real world to the digital world. And it is also responsible for passing on the sensed real-world values to the Internet ( WSN is thus involved with the hardware communication).
The Internet of Things in a broad sense is like a brain, it can both store the real-world data (in cloud services or databases) and can also be used to monitor the real-world parameters, make meaningful interpretations and even make decisions based on the sensed data. IoT is responsible for data processing, manipulation, and decision-making.

 

[amliakatherine]

The Internet of Things in a broad sense is like a brain, it can both store the real-world data (in cloud services or databases) and can also be used to monitor the real-world parameters, make meaningful interpretations and even make decisions based on the sensed data. IoT is responsible for data processing, manipulation, and decision-making.

 

[Andrewsmith2921]

In an IoT system, all of the sensors directly send their information to the internet. For example, a sensor may be used to monitor the temperature of a body of water. In this case, the data will be immediately or periodically sent directly to the internet, where a server can process the data and it can be interpreted on a front-end interface.

Conversely, in a WSN, there is no direct connection to the internet. Instead, the various sensors connected to some kind of router or central node. A person may then route the data from the router or central node as they see fit. That being said, an IoT system can utilize a wireless sensor network by communicating with its router to gather data

 

[mscott89]

So if i am to understand this correctly, WSN is essentially just a more "local" type of setup that can also function offline, whereas IOT requires internet connection on the various devices?