There was a time when the only device you had connected to your network was a PC. Then laptops with a wireless connection came along -- then after that, smartphones and tablets.
But the connected revolution hasn't ended there.
Gartner estimates that currently 5.5 million new 'things' -- devices from toasters and kettles to cars and hospital equipment -- are being connected to the internet every single day, and they will total 6.4 billion by the end of the year.
That figure is up from 3.8 billion in 2014, and 5 billion in 2015 and is expected to rise to over 20 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices being connected to the web in 2020.
The idea of automating systems by connecting them to the internet sounds like a good idea in theory, but it also risks creating a huge security headache, security researchers warn.
"IoT devices are coming in with security flaws which were out-of-date ten years ago you wouldn't dream of seeing on a modern PC," says James Lyne, global head of security research at Sophos.
The only reason these flaws aren't being exploited right now is that hackers currently have little interest, even though these devices are "trivial" to attack, he said. But don't get too comfortable.
