One day in the early 1980s, several graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University wanted to enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola. However, the vending machine was located far from their lab. Each time they rushed over, they either found it sold out or the drinks insufficiently chilled. Was there a way to solve this problem?

The solution came when they installed switches inside the vending machine and connected them to a server. By running a server program to receive real-time status updates from these switches, they could remotely check the machine’s inventory and temperature. This became known as the world’s first Internet of Things (IoT) device.

Today, IoT has become ubiquitous in daily life, ranging from small items like transit cards to large-scale applications such as autonomous vehicles and smart home systems. But what exactly does it connect?

At its core, the Internet of Things (IoT) remains rooted in traditional internet infrastructure but extends connectivity to physical objects, enabling them to serve greater purposes. It achieves interconnection between humans and devices, as well as between devices themselves.

To realize this connectivity, three essential layers must work together: the perception layer, the network layer, and the application layer.

The perception layer acts as IoT’s "eyes" and "ears," utilizing sensors, RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification), cameras, and other devices to collect information and convert it into digital signals, providing raw data for the IoT system.

The network layer functions as the "nervous system," responsible for transmitting data collected by the perception layer to processing centers.

The application layer serves as the "brain," employing algorithms and models to perform intelligent analysis and decision-making, ultimately delivering valuable services or information.

Unlike the standalone vending machine of the past, modern IoT systems typically involve multiple interconnected devices. In smart factories, for instance, every piece of equipment connects to a central control system, enabling real-time status monitoring and efficient data management.

In IoT remote control processes, KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) technology plays a crucial role by enabling remote device management and maintenance, significantly reducing operational costs while improving efficiency.