How COVID-19 Has Affected the Internet of Things (IoT) Technology

COVID-19 has influenced business operations all around the world, with the adoption of technology to sustain business operations and improve survival being on the rise across various sectors. This review was conducted to explore existing literature to uncover the effects that COVID-19 has had on Internet of Things (IoT) technology adoption, innovation, or research. The review was conducted through a search of literature sources detailing the impacts, the IoT technologies and solutions used as a result of the pandemic, and the various technologies and solutions that were invented before the pandemic but found higher demands because of the pandemic. The review reveals that COVID-19 has increased the adoption of IoT technology by more companies across diverse fields including healthcare, smart homes, smart offices, retail, airports, manufacturing, and hospitality. It also reveals that most businesses had plans for the gradual adoption of the IoT technologies that were already in existence before the pandemic but were pushed to procure and implement them as necessity arose. The review finally reveals that there are more IoT research and development efforts as a result of the pandemic.