IoT ARCHITECTURE AND PROTOCOLS

Unit II
Basics of IoT Networking, IoT Components, Functional components of IoT, IoT service oriented
architecture, IoT challenges, 6LowPAN, IEEE 802.15.4, RFID Features, RFID working principle and
applications, NFC (Near Field communication), Bluetooth, Wireless Sensor Networks and its
Applications.
------------------------------------------------
Basics of IoT Networking

Common IOT Terms

 M2M – Machine to machine
 P2P – Person to Person
 P2M – Person to Machine
 IIOT– Industrial Internet of Things
 HIOT– Home Internet of Things
 CIOT– Consumer Internet of Things
 Big Data – Very large data sets that can be analyzed to reveal insights and trends
 RFID– Radio Frequency Identification
 NFC– Near field communication

IOT Networking

The IOT will run over the existing TCP/IP network.

The existing TCP/IP networking model uses a 4 layer model with protocols defined at each level.
See understanding the TCP/IP 4 layer model.

The diagram below shows a side by side comparison of the Internet protocols currently in use and those
that are likely to be used for the IOT.

http://www.steves-internet-guide.com/internet-of-things/
 Protocols

 MQTT– (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) Uses TCP/IP. Publish subscribe model
(P/S)requires a message broker (switch).
 AMQP -( Advanced Message Queuing Protocol) Uses TCP/IP. Publish subscribe model and
Point to Point .
 COAP-(Constrained Application Protocol) - Uses UDP designed specifically for IOT uses
request response model like HTTP. RFC 7252
 DDS– (Data Distribution Service) –

Data Link Level Protocols

At this layer you will have a requirement to connect devices that are nearby e.g. on Local networks, and
that are more distant e.g. Metropolitan and wide area networks.

Current computer networks use Ethernet and Wi-Fi at this level for home/office networking (LANs)
and 3G/4G for Mobile connections (WANs).

However many IOT devices, like sensors, will be low powered (battery only).

Ethernet isn’t suitable for these applications but low powered Wi-fi and low powered Bluetooth are.

Although existing wireless technologies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,3G/4G) will be used to connect these devices,
other newer wireless technology, especially designed for IOT applications, will also need to be
considered, and will likely grow in importance.

Among these are:

 BLE– Blue tooth Low Energy Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE, colloquially BLE, formerly
marketed as Bluetooth Smart) is a wireless personal area network technology designed and marketed by
the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) aimed at novel applications in the healthcare,
fitness, beacons, security, and home entertainment.

Recent developments in Bluetooth are set to position the technology as ‘the communication protocol of
choice’ for IoT.

 LoRaWAN – The technology covers the physical layer, while other technologies and protocols
such as LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) cover the upper layers. Physical Range 10Km.
 SigFox- Sigfox is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology specially designed for
the Internet of Things. Devices connected using SigFox consume little power and operate over large
distances compared to WiFi and Bluetooth connection protocols which consume more power and work
best in short range.
 LTE-M- LTE-M is the simplified industry term for the LTE-MTC low power wide area (LPWA)
technology standard published by 3GPP in the Release 13 specification. It specifically refers
to LTE CatM1, suitable for the IoT.

Networking Level or Layer

 The protocol that is set to dominate at the networking level in the long term is IPv6.
It is very unlikely that IPv4 will be used, but it may play a role in the initial stages.
For example, most Home IOT devices e.g smart lights currently use IPv4.

Transport Level or Layer

At the transport level TCP has dominated the Internet and the web. It is used by HTTP and many other
popular Internet protocols (SMTP, POP3, IMAP4 etc).

MQTT which I expect to be one of the dominant messaging application protocols currently using TCP and
is already deployed.

However because of the requirement for low protocol overhead I would expect UDP to feature much more
in the future IOTs.

MQTT-SN –which runs over UDP is likely to see more widespread use in the future.

HTTP vs MQTT for IOT

MQTT is fast becoming the de-facto standard for IOT applications.

This is because it is very lightweight and fast when compared to http and is a one to may protocol as
opposed to a 1 to 1 protocol (http).

There are many current web applications that would have used MQTT as opposed to http if had been
available when they were being developed.

A good example is when information needs to be sent to many receiving clients like in train/bus/aircraft
arrivals and departures.

In this scenario a 1 to 1 protocol like http has a large overhead and places lots of load on the web servers.

Scaling these web server can be difficult.

With MQTT the clients only connect to a broker and it is easy to add additional brokers to balance the
load.

Protocol Support by Platform

 Microsooft Azure -MQTT,AMQP,HTTP and HTTPS

 AWS -MQTT,HTTPS,MQTT over websockets
 IBM Bluemix – MQTT,HTTPS,MQTT
 Thingwrox -MQTT,HTTPS,MQTT,AMQP

Network or Connectivity Layer

In a typical IoT ecosystem, sensors are connected with computation layers and intelligent layers
via network or connectivity layers. IoT endpoints need to be always connected with various other
components seamlessly over the connectivity layer. Based on the scale of the implementations IoT
components can be connected overs LANs, MANs or WANs. It can also be connected through
telephony networks like LTE (Long Term Evolution or popularly known as 4G Network) or light-based
 technologies like Li-Fi (where light is used as a mode of communication to maintain interconnections).
For local use cases, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can also be used.
An IoT network consists of various network components like routers, gateways, switches, various
network protocols, etc. Based on the use case and domain proper network infrastructure is needed to
be chosen.
IoT Components
What are the major components of Internet of Things

1.Smart devices and sensors – Device connectivity

Devices and sensors are the components of the device connectivity layer. These smart sensors are
continuously collecting data from the environment and transmit the information to the next layer.

Latest techniques in the semiconductor technology is capable of producing micro smart sensors for
various applications.

Common sensors are:

 Temperature sensors and thermostats

 Pressure sensors
 Humidity / Moisture level
 Light intensity detectors
 Moisture sensors
 Proximity detection
 RFID tags

How the devices are connected?

Most of the modern smart devices and sensors can be connected to low power wireless networks like Wi-
Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Z-wave, LoRAWAN etc… Each of these wireless technologies has its own pros and
cons in terms of power, data transfer rate and overall efficiency.
2.Gateway

IoT Gateway manages the bidirectional data traffic between different networks and protocols.
Another function of gateway is to translate different network protocols and make sure interoperability of
the connected devices and sensors.
Gateways can be configured to perform pre-processing of the collected data from thousands of
sensors locally before transmitting it to the next stage. In some scenarios, it would be necessary due to
compatibility of TCP/IP protocol.
IOT gateway offers certain level of security for the network and transmitted data with higher order
encryption techniques. It acts as a middle layer between devices and cloud to protect the system from
malicious attacks and unauthorized access.

3. Cloud

Internet of things creates massive data from devices, applications and users which has to be
managed in an efficient way. IoT cloud offers tools to collect, process, manage and store huge amount of
data in real time. Industries and services can easily access these data remotely and make critical
decisions when necessary.
Basically, IoT cloud is a sophisticated high performance network of servers optimized to perform
high speed data processing of billions of devices, traffic management and deliver accurate analytics.
Distributed database management systems are one of the most important components of IoT cloud.
Cloud system integrates billions of devices, sensors, gateways, protocols, data storage and
provides predictive analytics. Companies use these analytics data for improvement of products and
services, preventive measures for certain steps and build their new business model accurately.

4. Analytics

Analytics is the process of converting analog data from billions of smart devices and sensors into
useful insights which can be interpreted and used for detailed analysis. Smart analytics solutions are
inevitable for IoT system for management and improvement of the entire system.
One of the major advantages of an efficient IoT system is real time smart analytics which helps
engineers to find out irregularities in the collected data and act fast to prevent an undesired scenario.
Service providers can prepare for further steps if the information is collected accurately at the right time.
 Big enterprises use the massive data collected from IoT devices and utilize the insights for their
future business opportunities. Careful analysis will help organizations to predict trends in the market and
plan ahead for a successful implementation.
Information is very significant in any business model and predictive analysis ensures success in
concerned area of business line.

5. User interface

User interfaces are the visible, tangible part of the IoT system which can be accessible by users.
Designers will have to make sure a well designed user interface for minimum effort for users and
encourage more interactions.
Modern technology offers much interactive design to ease complex tasks into simple touch
panels controls. Multicolor touch panels have replaced hard switches in our household appliances and the
trend is increasing for almost every smart home devices.
User interface design has higher significance in today’s competitive market, it often determines
the user whether to choose a particular device or appliance. Users will be interested to buy new devices
or smart gadgets if it is very user friendly and compatible with common wireless standards.
IoT service oriented architecture
A service-oriented architecture is an approach used to create an architecture based upon the use
of services. Services (such as RESTful Web services) carry out some small function, such as producing
data, validating a customer, or providing simple analytical services.
A service-oriented architecture is an architectural pattern in computer software design in which
application components provide services to other components via a communications protocol, typically
over a network. The principles of service-orientation are independent of any vendor, product or
technology.
IoT challenges
The Internet Of Things has been facing many areas like Information Technology, Healthcare, Data
Analytics and Agriculture. The main focus is on protecting privacy as it is the primary reason for other
challenges including government participation. Integrated effort from the government, civil society and
private sectors would play a vital role in protecting the following values given below in to prevent IoT
from getting hampered:
Scalability:
Billions of internet-enabled devices get connected in a huge network, large volumes of data are needed
to be processed. The system that stores, analyses the data from these IoT devices needs to be
scalable. In present, the era of IoT evolution everyday objects are connected with each other via
Internet. The raw data obtained from these devices need big data analytics and cloud storage for
interpretation of useful data.
Interoperability:
Technological standards in most areas are still fragmented. These technologies need to be converged.
Which would help us in establishing a common framework and the standard for the IoT devices. As the
standardization process is still lacking, interoperability of IoT with legacy devices should be considered
critical. This lack of interoperability is preventing us to move towards the vision of truly connected
everyday interoperable smart objects.
Lack of government support:
Government and Regulatory bodies like FDA should come up and bring up regulations by setting up a
standard committee for safety and security of devices and people.
Safety Of Patients:
Most of IoT devices are left unattended, as they are connected with real-world objects. If used on
patients as wearable devices, any technical error in security can be life-threatening for patient.
Security And Personal Privacy:
There has been no research in security vulnerabilities and its improvements. It should ensure
Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of personal data of patient.
Design Based Challenge:
With the development in technology design challenges are increasing at a faster rate. There have been
issues regarding design like limited computation power, limited energy and limited memory which need
to be sorted out.

What is 6LoWPAN?
6LoWPAN is a somewhat contorted acronym that combines the latest version of the Internet
Protocol (IPv6) and Low-power Wireless Personal Area Networks (LoWPAN). 6LoWPAN, therefore,
allows for the smallest devices with limited processing ability to transmit information wirelessly using an
internet protocol. It’s the newest competitor to ZigBee.
The concept was created because engineers felt like the smallest devices were  being left
out from the Internet of Things. 6LoWPAN can communicate with 802.15.4 devices as well as other
types of devices on an IP network link like WiFi. A bridge device can connect the two.
The 6LoWPAN system is used for a variety of applications including wireless sensor networks.
This form of wireless sensor network sends data as packets and using IPv6 - providing the basis for the
name - IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks.

6LoWPAN provides a means of carrying packet data in the form of IPv6 over IEEE 802.15.4
and other networks. It provides end-to-end IPv6 and as such it is able to provide direct connectivity to a
huge variety of networks including direct connectivity to the Internet.

In this way, 6LoWPAN adopts a different approach to the other low power wireless sensor network
solutions.

IEEE 802.15.4

IEEE 802.15.4 is a standard that was developed to provide a framework and the lower layers in
the OSI model for low cost, low power wireless connectivity networks.
IEEE 802.15.4 provides provides the MAC and PHY layers, leaving the upper layers to be
developed for specific higher later standards like Thread, Zigbee, 6LoWPAN and many others.
As a result, IEEE 802.15.4 does not take the limelight in the way that other standards might, but
nevertheless it forms the basis for a large number of standards and accordingly it ifs far more widely
deployed than may be apparent at first sight.
Low power is one of the key elements of 802.15.4 as it is used in many areas where remote
sensors need to operate on battery power, possibly for years without attention.
RFID Features,

The main features of RFID are as follows:

1. A unique ID
As automation and artificial intelligence become increasingly prevalent in business; there needs to be a
closer relationship between computers and the physical environment. RFID provides the means to
accurately identify individual components, batches of materials, construction equipment, retail goods or
other items. The computer systems can then use the ID to automatically update the records with a
combination of data such as location, temperature, date and time.
 

2. Automatic recognition
Tags are attached to items and transmit the stored ID to readers. The readers may be positioned at fixed
points such as ‘goods out’ or ‘goods in’ or at specific locations within a chemical processing plant, As
each item passes by, the reader will automatically scan the ID. Alternatively the readers can be built into
tables or mobile phones, enabling the tags to be scanned wherever the entity happens to be.
 

3. No need for batteries

Passive RFID tags – the most common type – are activated by the reader’s power source so they do not
require batteries. This means that tags can be very small – tiny enough for them to be embedded in
miniature devices.
They also have a very long life and some can survive outdoors in all conditions for ten years and beyond.
Typically, passive tags are used for items that need to be read within a range from 1mm up to about 10m.
For longer distances or more specialist applications, active tags with their own power source may be
used. Even so, these can remain active for up to five years depending on use and environmental
conditions.
 

4. Can detect ‘hidden’ objects

Unlike bar codes, with RFID the object being scanned does not necessarily have to be within the direct
line of sight. Files in racks or items moving on a conveyor belts, can be detected simply by positioning the
reader correctly.
However the ability to read a tag will depend on a combination of factors such as the type of tag and
reader, the surface material and the environment. With any system, it is important to take the appropriate
technical advice and to carry out trials. CoreRFID have many years’ experience of successful RFID
projects and can advise on the right equipment and conduct feasibility studies and trials.
 

5. Multiple tags can be read at once

Similarly one RFID reader can collect data from a large number of tags simultaneously – unlike barcodes
where each item has to be scanned separately. This makes it possible to collect data en masse which
can save a huge amount of time. The contents of an entire pallet can be scanned as it leaves the
warehouse, or a stock check of the contents of a shelving rack can be carried out without removing each
item. Again, there are many factors to be considered when selecting the correct RFID technology so take
professional advice.
 
 6. Rugged and weatherproof
RFID tags can be more robust than barcodes or other print labels and can be used even in the most
demanding environments. There is a huge range of tag types available designed for everything from
underwater applications to contaminated or hazardous environments, high-vibration areas or where there
is a risk of explosions (ATEX compliant). Contact one of our engineers for an initial discussion to advise
on the best way forward.

RFID working principle and applications

RFID – A Basic Introduction & Simple Application

Consider a Couple of Situations:
 You are in a mall buying a lot of things and now you have to wait in the queue for a long time and
when your time comes, the person at the counter checks each item for its barcode, scans it and then
the computer processes it slowly. Overall it’s a quite time consuming job both for you and the person at
the counter.
 You are supposed to make a database of the students in a school or college or employees of any
organization, present at any particular day. Manually checking the id of each person, making a
database, updating it is quite a consuming work to do.
So how about considering an alternative, by the virtue of which you can just pick up things from the mall,
place your bag on the scanner and just pay the bill and leave. Also in the educational institutions or
Organizations where you can just assign an ID tag to each member, check their attendance on any
particular day through the ID tag.

To achieve the above alternatives, the solution or the technology used is RFID.
Defining RFID:
RFID or Radio Frequency Identification System is a technology based identification system which helps
identifying objects just through the tags attached to them, without requiring any light of sight between the
tags and the tag reader. All that is needed is radio communication between the tag and the reader.
A Basic RFID System:
3 Main Components of a RFID System

 A RFID tag: It consists of a silicon microchip attached to a small antenna and mounted on a
substrate and encapsulated in different materials like plastic or glass veil and with an adhesive on the
back side to be attached to objects.

RFID Tag
 A reader: It consists of a scanner with antennas to transmit and receive signals and is
responsible for communication with the tag and receives the information from the tag.

An RFID Reader
 A Processor or a Controller: It can be a host computer with a Microprocessor or a
microcontroller which receives the reader input and process the data.

2 Types of RFID Systems:

 Active RFID system: These are systems where the tag has its own power source like any
external power supply unit or a battery. The only constraint being the life time of the power devices.
These systems can be used for larger distances and to track high value goods like vehicles.
 Passive RFID system: These are systems where the tag gets power through the transfer of
power from a reader antenna to the tag antenna. They are used for short range transmission.

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF RFID TECHNOLOGY

 The basic principle of RFID technology: the RF signal to be transmitted by the reader&writer is coded and
loaded onto the high frequency carrier signal, and then sent out through the antenna. The electronic label
entering the working area of  reader&writer receives the signal. The relevant circuits of the chip in the
card perform voltage doubling rectifying, modulating, decoding, deciphering, and then judging the
command request, password, authority, etc. Finally, signal processed by tag according to the command.
What Is Near-Field Communication (NFC)?
Near-field communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless technology that makes your smartphone, tablet,
wearables, payment cards, and other devices even smarter. Near-field communication is the ultimate in
connectivity. With NFC, you can transfer information between devices quickly and easily with a single
touch—whether paying bills, exchanging business cards, downloading coupons, or sharing a research
paper.

NFC Technology

The RF field generated by an NFC Forum Device to communicate with an NFC Forum Tag has three
tasks:

1. To transfer power from the NFC Forum Device to the NFC Forum Tag. Therefore the NFC Forum
Tags don’t need batteries or other power supplies for operation as the necessary power for
communication is provided by the RF field. This technology is also ideal for small IoT devices
acting as an NFC Forum Tag as no additional power is needed for the NFC communication.

For Wireless Charging the primary goal of NFC Technology is to transfer power thus extending
communication. In this case NFC communication is used to regulate the power transfer. When
Wireless Charging mode is active the field strength of the RF field can be increased allowing a
power transfer of up to 1 W.

2. The NFC device is sending information to an NFC Forum Tag by modulating the RF field signal
(signal modulation).
3. The NFC device is receiving information from an NFC Forum Tag by sensing the modulation of
the load generated by the NFC Forum tag (load modulation).

NFC technology is designed for an operation distance of a few centimeters, this makes it more difficult for
attackers to record the communication between an NFC Forum Device and an NFC Forum Tag compared
to other wireless technologies which have a working distance of several meters. In addition, the user of
the NFC Forum Device determines by the touch gesture which entity the NFC communication should take
place, which makes it more difficult for the attacker to get connected. As a result, the security level of the
NFC communication is by default higher compared to other wireless communication protocols.
Additionally, the NFC Forum has added Peer to Peer communication which is a mechanism to cipher all
exchanged data to avoid that a spy can interpret recorded communication.
BLE– Bluetooth Low Energy Recent developments in Bluetooth are set to position the technology as ‘the
communication protocol of choice’ for IoT. According to Bluetooth Specialist Interest Group, by 2020,
more than one-third of all installed IoT devices will be Bluetooth-enabled. In fact, Bluetooth with its ability
to connect disparate devices and industries through short-range technology can transform the way
devices interact with each other.

Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE, colloquially BLE, formerly marketed as Bluetooth Smart) is a

wireless personal area network technology designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest
Group (Bluetooth SIG) aimed at novel applications in the healthcare, fitness, beacons, security, and home
entertainment.

Wireless Sensor Networks and its Applications:

What is a Wireless Sensor Network?

Wireless sensor network (WSN) refers to a group of spatially dispersed and dedicated sensors for
monitoring and recording the physical conditions of the environment and organizing the collected data at
a central location. WSNs measure environmental conditions like temperature, sound, pollution levels,
humidity, wind, and so on.
These are similar to wireless ad hoc networks in the sense that they rely on wireless connectivity
and spontaneous formation of networks so that sensor data can be transported wirelessly. WSNs are
spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such
as temperature, sound, pressure, etc. and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main
location. The more modern networks are bi-directional, both collecting data from distributed
sensors[2] and enabling control of sensor activity.[3] The development of wireless sensor networks was
motivated by military applications such as battlefield surveillance;[4] today such networks are used in
many industrial and consumer applications, such as industrial process monitoring and control, machine
health monitoring, and so on.in other word
A Wireless Sensor Network is one kind of wireless network  that includes a large number of
circulating, self-directed, minute, low powered devices named sensor nodes called motes. These
networks certainly cover a huge number of spatially distributed, little, battery-operated, embedded devices
that are networked to caringly collect, process, and transfer data to the operators, and it has controlled
the capabilities of computing & processing. Nodes are tiny computers, which work jointly to form
networks.
The sensor node is a multi-functional, energy-efficient wireless device. The applications of motes
in industrial are widespread. A collection of sensor nodes collects the data from the surroundings to
achieve specific application objectives. The communication between motes can be done with each other
using transceivers. In a wireless sensor network, the number of motes can be in the order of hundreds/
even thousands. In contrast with sensor n/ws, Ad Hoc networks will have fewer nodes without any
structure.
 Wireless Sensor Network Applications
Wireless sensor networks may comprise numerous different types of sensors like low sampling rate,
seismic, magnetic, thermal, visual, infrared, radar, and acoustic, which are clever to monitor a wide range
of ambient situations. Sensor nodes are used for constant sensing, event ID, event detection & local
control of actuators. The applications of wireless sensor networks mainly include health, military,
environmental, home, & other commercial areas.

 Military Applications  Environmental/Earth sensings

 Health Applications  Air pollution monitoring
 Environmental Applications  Forest fire detection
 Home Applications  Landslide detection
 Commercial Applications  Water quality monitoring
 Area monitoring  Industrial monitoring
 Health care monitoring

 These networks are used in environmental trackings, such as forest detection, animal tracking, flood
detection, forecasting and weather prediction, and also in commercial applications like seismic activity
prediction and monitoring.
 Military applications, such as tracking and environment monitoring surveillance applications use these
networks. The sensor nodes from sensor networks are dropped to the field of interest and are remotely
controlled by a user. Enemy tracking, security detections are also performed by using these networks.
 Health applications, such as Tracking and monitoring of patients and doctors use these networks.
 The most frequently used wireless sensor networks applications in the field of Transport systems
such as monitoring of traffic, dynamic routing management, and monitoring of parking lots, etc., use
these networks.
 Rapid emergency response, industrial process monitoring, automated building climate control,
ecosystem and habitat monitoring, civil structural health monitoring, etc., use these networks.