Difference between IoT and M2M

In this article, we will discuss the main differences between IoT and M2M. But before discussing the differences, we will know about the IoT and M2M.

What is IoT?

IoT (Internet of Things) is the network of physical objects embedded with software, sensors, and other technologies to connect and share data with multiple devices over the internet. It is an environment in which devices share the data via the networking media known as the internet. Users can build fast, scalable, high-performance networks by connecting a wide range of devices via the technologies with the use of IoT devices.

For example, an air conditioner's sensor may collect the data on outside temperatures and change its temperature to increase or decrease according to the outside environment's temperature. Likewise, the refrigerators may change their temperature accordingly, too.

What is M2M?

M2M stands for Machine to Machine communication. It is a direct communication system between the devices using wired or wireless communications channels without any human interaction. It collects the data and shares it with other connected devices. It is a technology that allows devices without the use of the internet to connect between devices. Various applications, such as defense, monitoring and tracking, production and facility management, are provided by M2M communications.

M2M technology may be present in offices, shopping malls, houses, and many other places. A common example of a machine to machine is controlling electrical devices like fans and bulbs using Bluetooth from the smartphone. Here, the smartphone and electrical devices are the two interacting devices with each other.

Main Differences between the IoT and M2M

Now, we are going to discuss the main differences between IoT and M2M. Some of IoT and M2M differences are as follows:

1. IoT is a subset of M2M technology. In IoT, the communication between two machines without human instruction, making it a part of the M2M communication system.
2. The point-to-point communication of M2M is the main difference between M2M and IoT technology. Meanwhile, an IoT system usually locates its devices within a global cloud network that facilitates larger-scale automation and more advanced applications.
3. Another key difference between IoT and M2M is scalability. IoT is designed to be highly scalable because devices may also be included in the network and integrated into existing networks with minimal issues. In contrast, maintaining and setting up M2M networks could also be more labor-intensive, as new point-to-point connections must be built for each system.

Head to Head comparison between the IoT and M2M

There are various differences between the IoT and M2M. Some of the popular comparisons between the IoT and M2M are discussed in the below tabular form.