What is the Web of Things, and How Is It Different from IoT?

The primary distinction between IoT and WoT is the layer at which each develops device interconnectivity.

Fremont, CA: The concept of the Web of Things got first introduced by researchers around 2007. It has since been adopted & promoted by organizations like Mozilla, Siemens, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These organizations have established interest groups to define the standards that should govern the Web of Things. It includes the Web Thing Model, which represents a standardized way to provide information on a virtual or physical device, known as a Thing.

Along with the Web Thing Model, the groups developing the Web of Things have also introduced several other standards. These include the WoT Architecture, WoT Thing Description, WoT Scripting API, and WoT Binding Templates. Each of these makes up the core components of the Web of Things design.

Major Difference Between IoT and WoT

While both the Internet of Things and the Web of Things generally serve the same purpose of linking smart devices over the Internet, there are several key distinctions between them. These distinctions get determined by the functions they provide and the implementations they entail.

The primary distinction between IoT and WoT is the layer at which each develops device interconnectivity. IoT addresses the network layer connecting devices in this situation. Each gadget has a communication means via which it may communicate. IoT resembles the road on which automobiles go from one location to another to use an analogy. It serves solely to transport information from one location to another. It is unconcerned with how data travels through it or what it intends to do when it arrives at its destination. As a result, the IoT cannot guide information to its goal or coordinate amongst multiple data sources. It's when the limits of IoT become clear.

WoT, in contrast to IoT's network layer solutions, may be viewed as the application layer. It theoretically and operationally stands on top of the IoT. WoT is not an alternative or a rival to IoT; instead, it seeks to improve IoT. It gets accomplished by establishing common definitions and models for describing devices on the Internet. WoT depicts the street signs, traffic lights, and constructed routes that create the road rules in the highway analogy. Its purpose is to develop well-defined pathways for data to flow between sites while also ensuring compliance with both its source and destination.