Lesson 6 of 7
IoT & Connected Devices
Explore the Internet of Things: how devices share data, and the security and privacy trade-offs involved.
Learn it
The Internet of Things (IoT) means everyday objects that can connect to the internet and share data.
IoT devices can be helpful, but they can also collect a lot of personal information.
Security matters: weak default passwords and unpatched devices can be hacked.
Key terms
- IoT
- Internet of Things: everyday objects with network connectivity that can send and receive data.
- MQTT
- A lightweight messaging protocol often used by IoT devices to publish and subscribe to data.
- Firmware
- Software that is permanently stored on a hardware device, controlling how it works.
- Default Password
- A pre-set password that ships with a device and should always be changed.
IoT in Daily Life
Examples of connected devices and what they share.
- 1Smart thermostat: Sends temperature and occupancy data to a cloud server to learn your schedule.
- 2Fitness tracker: Uploads heart rate, sleep and location data to a phone app.
- 3Smart doorbell: Streams video and motion alerts over Wi-Fi to your phone.
- 4Agricultural sensor: Reports soil moisture so irrigation systems can run automatically.
A Simple IoT Sensor Message
pythonimport network
from mqtt import MQTTClient
# Connect to Wi-Fi and an MQTT broker
client = MQTTClient('sensor_01', 'broker.example.com')
client.connect()
# Read sensor and publish data
temperature = read_temp()
client.publish('classroom/temp', str(temperature))This pseudocode shows a sensor connecting to Wi-Fi and publishing a temperature reading to an MQTT topic.
Try it
Are these statements about IoT true or false?
IoT devices always need a human to press a button before sending data.
Changing the default password on a smart device improves security.
IoT data is never covered by privacy laws.
MQTT is a lightweight protocol commonly used by IoT devices.
Challenge
A school wants to put a smart sensor in every classroom to measure temperature, CO2 and noise. List three benefits and three risks the school should consider before buying.
Pick whichever way suits you — every mode earns the same bonus XP.
Write at least 40 more characters to submit.
Mark your own work
Guided walkthrough — 0/5 clues revealed
- Clue 1 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 2 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 3 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 4 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 5 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
Each clue costs 4 XP (never below 20 XP). You'd earn 40 XP right now.
Extension: Suggest two rules the school should write in its IoT policy to protect student privacy.