The Internet of Things is a mess, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Bluetooth, once dismissed as a possible communications tool for smart devices, is re-emerging as a contender that could help standardize what is now a fragmented universe.  

For years, the problem with “smart devices” was that few could talk to one another because many used different languages and different communications technologies, tied together with different software packages and chipsets. The fragmentation has dampened consumer demand for devices and manufacturers have been hesitant to release new products.