The 6 Basic Building Blocks Of The Things In The 'Internet Of Things'

The Internet Of Things will make many of the familiar devices and objects in our lives — from door locks to toll booths to refrigerators — suddenly Internet-connected, smartphone- and tablet-accessible, and responsive.  This shift to connectivity in once-inert things — the logical next step in the growing ubiquity of the Internet — will force companies large and small to transform dramatically. But how are the "things" in the Internet of Things actually put together? What elevates an ob...