Domain 1: The characteristics of a domain 1 thing are:
- Can be a real world or virtual entity
- They have identity and there is a means for identifying them
- They are environmentally safe
- The things virtual representation respects the security, privacy and safety of other things with which they interact – this includes people
- They use protocols to communicate with other things and the infrastructure
- Are involved in the information exchange between real, virtual and digital worlds

Domain 2: The characteristics of domain 2 things include all the lower domain features
plus:
- They use web-services to interact and expose their functions in order to interface with other things
- They can have their own directly attached sensors allowing them to interact with their environment

Domain 3: The characteristics of domain 3 things include all the lower domain features plus:

- Can communicate with other things, device, computers and people
- Can initiate communications
- They can collaborate to form groups with other things

Domain 4: The characteristics of domain 4 things include all the lower domain features plus:
- Can do many tasks autonomously
- Can interact, negotiate with and understand their environment
- Can extract patterns from their environment or learn from other things
- Can make decisions based on their reasoning capabilities
- Can selectively evolve and propagate information

Domain 5: The characteristics of domain 5 things include all the lower domain features plus:
- Can create, manage and destroy other things