{"id":808,"date":"2016-05-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-basics-of-iot-in-construction\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T05:36:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:36:44","slug":"the-basics-of-iot-in-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-basics-of-iot-in-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"The basics of IoT in construction"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/technology-innovation\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Technology &amp; Innovation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe basics of IoT in construction\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2016-05-06T00:00:00-04:00\">May 6, 2016<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"The basics of IoT in construction\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-basics-of-iot-in-construction\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/debcarpenterbeck\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/04\/CRE-Deb-Carpenter-Beck.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"CRE Deb Carpenter-Beck\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Deb Carpenter-Beck<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>things<\/em> around us are changing dramatically. Our cars have become mobile wifi hot spots . . . our wrists are encircled by bracelets that monitor our heart rate and sleep patterns . . . our refrigerators can tell us when we need milk and orange juice and add the items to the grocery list on our smart phones. It\u2019s all just a small part of what is known as the <em>internet of things<\/em>, or <em>IoT<\/em> for short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the world of construction, there are also plenty of opportunities for IoT technology\u2014from smart equipment, to intelligent buildings, to worker wearables. It\u2019s all fascinating stuff but can be a bit confusing for those new to the concept and its application in construction. &nbsp;So I turned to a few sources more educated on the topic to provide a basic understanding of this full-steam-ahead technology trend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Simply put by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_of_Things\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikipedia<\/a>, the internet of things connects devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items using electronic sensors and the Internet. (A little trivia: the term \u201cinternet of things\u201d was first coined in 1999 referring to a global network of objects connected to radio-frequency identification.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>IoT sensors are already being used in construction equipment to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forconstructionpros.com\/article\/12169353\/how-the-internet-of-things-is-impacting-the-construction-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">monitor operating conditions and performance levels<\/a>, according to ForConstructionPros.com. In one of its recent articles, it reported: \u201cAt this stage of technology maturation, most applications are still harvesting the low-hanging fruit like machine hours, fuel consumption, GPS tracking, and idle time. These types of data let equipment owners schedule preventive maintenance, determine optimal operating procedures, prevent theft and misuse of equipment, and more.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIOT\u2019s magic goes beyond just a simple application,\u201d adds Isaac Sacolick, an experienced CIO who often writes about technology. He sees IoT as involving many different items, big data analytics to process data from the sensors, and feedback systems that machines and people can act on. In his article \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.starcio.com\/2014\/01\/what-is-internet-of-things-magic-beyond.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What is the Internet of Things? Beyond bracelets, gadgets, and home automation<\/a>,\u201d he describes how a building\u2019s systems could sense its occupants and recognize daily patterns to optimize lighting and heating.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Use of IoT in construction is still relatively new, but the possibilities are virtually endless. The only limitation will be our imaginations.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The things around us are changing dramatically. Our cars have become mobile wifi hot spots . . . our wrists are encircled by bracelets that monitor our heart rate and sleep patterns . . . our refrigerators can tell us when we need milk and orange juice and add the items to the grocery list [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":1230,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[192,184,154],"business_type":[40],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[50],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[246],"coauthors":[522],"class_list":["post-808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","tag-construction","tag-construction-it","tag-technology","business_type-small-business","industry-construction-and-real-estate"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Deb Carpenter-Beck","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/0J9A9702.jpg","imagine_tags":{"246":"Construction"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}