Did IoT cause the depletion of IPv4?

It isn’t a crazy thing to say that all of the devices we have on earth need the internet. Our TVs, our lamps, our home lights, the security system on our doorbells, and much more. And that is excluding the obvious electronics such as phones and laptops. All of these objects are connected via a network that collects data called the Internet of Things or IoT for short. For these objects to be able to collect data and do much more things, they need their own IPv4 address. Back in the 80s, there was a bit over 4 billion Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses allocated to the people of the world with a need for it. The people expected the 4 billion IPv4 addresses would have been enough, but unfortunately, they were wrong.

What is the internet of things?

If you aren’t familiar with the term Internet of Things, then let us explain. The Internet of Things is a network of objects in our everyday life that have become technologically advanced. Within these objects, there are sensors and software so they are able to connect and exchange data with each other or other computerized devices using the internet. A great example of objects that are under the ‘Internet of Things’ term is smart objects. Examples of these smart objects are smart lights, smart toilets, smart assistants, and more.

The role of IoT in the depletion of IPv4

The way the objects in the Internet of Things are able to connect to each other and exchange all this data and more is by having their IPv4 addresses. IPv4 addresses are all unique, no two are the same. So this means that all of the devices that are a part of IoT need their own individual IPv4 address. In the 80s, no one expected us to be able to control our home lights with a tap of our phone, and if they did, they didn’t think it would need IPv4 space to do so. Now we have millions of these devices, and no IPv4 addresses left.

IoT isn’t the only one to blame

As much as the Internet of Things could largely be the reason for the depletion of IPv4, it isn’t the only one. The world’s total population has pretty much doubled since the 80s, so sooner or later that would have made the IPv4 address run out as well. Now, we have the transfer market for the addresses and they go for high rates, so if you want to buy IPv4 addresses, you will need to do some saving.