"The Internet of Things (IoT, sometimes Internet of Everything) is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable objects to exchange data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices based on the infrastructure of International Telecommunication Union's Global Standards Initiative."

This chapter starts with a brief walkthrough of the evolution of the IoT followed by an overview of the basics of IoT-related software and hardware, which every IoT enthusiast should know. The discussion then moves on to introduce Particle, an IoT company (https://www.particle.io/), followed by a description of Particle's popular IoT products—Core, Photon, and Electron.

This chapter is divided into the following sections:

• Evolution of the IoT
• Hardware and software in the IoT ecosystem
• Market survey of IoT development boards and cloud services
• What is Particle?
• Photon, Electron, and Core