Samir is a soft-spoken techie from India. I picked him up one morning as he was heading to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston for a conference on something called the “Internet of Things”—or IoT.

I’d heard that term tossed around before. I’ve even seen job postings related to it in the high-tech world. But honestly, I wasn’t sure what it really meant. A few months back, I gave a ride to a woman from LogMeIn, a company based in Boston’s Innovation District. She told me her team was working on IoT-related projects—but even she couldn’t quite explain what it was. Hmm…

Thankfully, Samir could.

He explained that the Internet of Things is all about “smart, connected products”—devices that connect to the internet and can be controlled or monitored remotely, often using a smartphone.

Think of it like this: You’re on vacation 1,000 miles away, but you can still pull up an app and see what’s happening inside your house through your security cameras. Or, take NEST—a smart thermostat that lets you adjust the temperature of your home from your phone, whether you’re in bed or on a beach in another country.

In layman’s terms, it’s about making everyday objects smarter and more useful by putting them online.

If you want the technical definition, here’s how Wikipedia puts it:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable them to achieve greater value and service by exchanging data with the manufacturer, operator, and/or other connected devices. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure.

Clear as mud?

In all seriousness, talking to Samir helped me better understand how interconnected our world is becoming—and how quickly. We’re not just talking about smart homes anymore; IoT is already reshaping industries from healthcare to transportation to agriculture.

So next time you unlock your car with your phone or check the fridge temperature from the grocery store, just remember: you’re living in the Internet of Things.