Different Protocols for IoT - Overview and Advantages

Different Protocols for IoT - Overview and Advantages

What are IoT Protocols?

IoT protocols allow various devices to connect with one another in the same way that humans do. Protocols, in essence, establish parameters for how to respond to commands from other devices. CDMA, WAP, and other general-purpose protocols are not suitable for this unique IoT technology. More robust protocols are required for this technology.

Data Protocols for IoT

MQTT — Message Queue Telemetry Transport Protocol

DDS — Data Distribution Service

AMQP — Advanced Message Queuing Protocol

CoAP — Constrained Application Protocol

1. Message Queue Telemetry Transport Protocol

Message queue telemetry transport protocol is a messaging protocol that makes machine-to-machine communication possible. This was developed by IBM. This protocol forwards the data from the sensors to the devices and then to the network. The three elements of MQTT protocol in IoT are publisher, subscriber, and dealer/broker. The data can be interchanged between subscriber and publisher, whereas, the dealer/broker is responsible for the safe connection between the subscriber and publisher. MQTT protocol cannot be used for all types of IoT applications runs over the TCP/IP model.

2. Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP)

It is an advanced message queuing protocol that supports message-oriented middleware environments. This protocol is responsible for communication through reliable messages. The publisher communicates with subscribers through the AMQP carrier. The messages from the publisher are stored in the carrier of AMQP and as per the message queue and order, they will be forwarded to the relevant subscriber with an accurate security system line. AMQP has the following three capabilities which make it more reliable and secure. This protocol has the below processing chain.

Exchange: Exchange receives the data or messages from the publishers and forwards them to message queues.

Message Queue: Messages are stored in the message queue until they are processed by client software.

Binding: The connection between the exchange and message queue is possible due to this binding component.

3. Data Distribution Service (DDS)

The data distribution service protocol is developed by the object management group. This protocol can be used in small devices as well as in the cloud. This protocol lies between the operating system and application programming interface which gives rise to connectivity between devices. This protocol software is best for interchanging the information and quick data integration in IoT systems. This protocol supports programming languages, real-time and reliable communication.

DDS standard has two layers.

· Data-Centric Publish-Subscribe (DCPS)

· Data Local Reconstruction Layer (DLRL)

These layers deliver the information to all subscribers whereas DLRL provides the interface to the functionalities of DCPS.

4. Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)

This is an internet utility protocol that supports restricted gadgets. Initially, CoAP is used in the machine to machine communications. CoAP is the alternate protocol for HTTP. This protocol has quite an effective XML interchange data format technique which is better than plain text HTML/XML file. Constrained application protocol supports four different types of messages which are, non-confirmable, confirmable, reset, and acknowledgment. Confirmable messages are used for secure and reliable transmission over UDP. CoAP is a very lightweight protocol and it uses DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) for providing more security and reliable communications.

Communication Protocols for IoT

1. ZigBee

For IoT networks, ZigBee is an excellent communication standard. It can support a large number of nodes and has a range of up to 900 feet. Low power consumption, excellent scalability, strong security, and durability are all advantages of ZigBee. It also uses destination-based routing to create a robust mesh network. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard protocol is well-suited to home automation as well as large-scale industrial installations such as Bluetooth. There are various ZigBee certified home automation solutions available, as well as a large user base generating ZigBee compliant items.

Advantages of ZigBee

Better scalability

Randomization

Long battery life

2. LoRaWAN

Since its inception in 2015, LoRa WAN is a low-power, wide-area networking (LPWAN) protocol based on LoRa technology and is used as wide-area network technology. Long-range, battery-powered wireless IoT devices are the focus of the Long-Range Wide Area Network. It works well in regional, national, and international networks. It’s noted for its ability to communicate over great distances with minimal power usage and identify signals in a wide variety of signal levels.

It’s been built to provide low-cost mobile secure communication in IoT, smart city, and industrial applications, as well as millions of devices.

Advantages of LoRa

Long-range

Bi-directional communication with high security

Seamless go-to-market

3. NB-IoT

Narrow Band IoT, which is classified as a 5G technology, is developed for networks that require low bandwidth to sustain high connection density. The system offers extensive coverage with low latency, as well as tried-and-true security features. Since its standardization in 2016, NB-IoT has been used in circumstances where wide coverage is required, such as rural and deep inside. It also has extremely low device complexity and is regarded as the ideal solution for connecting a large number of devices in a single deployment.

Advantages of NB-IoT

Best-in-class battery life

Wider deployment

Reliability

4. Wi-Fi

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) is the most prevalent wireless local area network protocol among all IoT communication technologies. Wi-Fi, which is based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, allows for reliable communication between connected devices across a range of 115–230 feet. This technology is best suited for interior applications and home automation because it requires little infrastructure or device expense and allows for quick implementation.

Since its inception, this technology tries to be the most pervasive wireless communication technology and it is continuously scaling to improve its range and speed.

Advantages of Wi-Fi

Data security and privacy protection

Easy to install and connect

Faster data transfers

5. Thread

Thread is a low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that was created to address the IoT’s inherent interoperability, security, power, and architecture challenges. It can link hundreds of IoT components and comes with strong security measures as a standard. The communication protocol may self-heal and reconfigure when adding or removing devices, according to IEEE 802.15.4 radio standards.

Advantages of Thread

Makes direct connection

Flexible platform

Seamless integration with large networks

6. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

Bluetooth Low Energy is an improved version of Bluetooth designed for IoT connections over short distances of up to 300 feet. Since its conception in 1989, it has been one of the most widely used wireless technologies in smart lighting and other IoT applications.

Bluetooth evolved quickly, with version 4.0 of the Bluetooth core specification introducing Bluetooth Low Energy in 2010. It set fire to the smart lighting and connected IoT age.

This open standard technology is a somewhat secure wireless technology that encrypts communication signals at both the network and application levels to avoid casual eavesdropping from out-of-network devices.

Advantages of Bluetooth Low Energy

Low latency and better responsiveness

Scalability

Reliability and robustness

7. Z-Wave

Z-Wave is a low-power RF communications IoT technology that is largely used in home automation for items such as lamp controls and sensors. Z-Wave has a simpler protocol than some others, making development faster and easier. It is a mesh network using low-energy radio waves to communicate from appliance to appliance, allowing for wireless control of residential appliances and other devices, such as lighting control, security systems, thermostats, windows, locks, swimming pools, and garage door openers.

IoT Communication Protocols Comparison

Infrastructure Protocols for IoT

1. IPv6 — IPv6 is an Internet Layer protocol that provides end-to-end datagram transmission across multiple IP networks.

2. 6LoWPAN — 6LoWPAN is an abbreviation for IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Networks. It is an IPv6 adaption layer for IEEE802.15.4 links. This protocol operates only at 2.4 GHz with a transfer rate of 250 kbps.

3. UDP (User Datagram Protocol) — A simple OSI transport layer protocol based on Internet Protocol for client/server network applications (IP). UDP, the primary alternative to TCP, is one of the oldest network protocols in use, having been introduced in 1980. UDP is frequently used in applications that are specifically designed for real-time performance.

4. QUIC- QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections, pronounced quick) supports a set of multiplexed UDP connections between two endpoints and was designed to provide security comparable to TLS/SSL, as well as reduced connection and transport latency, and bandwidth estimation in each direction to avoid congestion

5. uIP — The uIP is an open-source TCP/IP stack that may be used with microcontrollers as small as 8 and 16 bits. It was created by Adam Dunkels of the Swedish Institute of Computer Science’s “Networked Embedded Systems” group, published under a BSD-style license, and further developed by a large community of developers.

6. Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) — For datagram protocols, the DTLS protocol enables communications privacy. The protocol lets client/server applications interact in a secure manner that protects against eavesdropping, manipulation, and message forgery. The DTLS protocol is based on the Transport Layer Security (TLS) standard and offers the same level of security.

7. NanoIP- NanoIP (nano Internet Protocol) is a concept developed to offer Internet-like networking capabilities to embedded and sensor devices without the overhead of TCP/IP. NanoIP was created with the goal of having low overhead, wireless networking, and local addressing.

8. Content-Centric Networking (CCN) — It works on the principle that a communication network should allow users to focus on the data, rather than having to reference a specific, physical location from where the data is to be retrieved. CCN enables content caching to reduce congestion and improve delivery speed, a simpler configuration of network devices, and security built into the network at the data level.

Discovery Protocols for IoT

1. MDNS (multicast Domain Name System)- MDNS (multicast Domain Name System) resolves host names to IP addresses. Within small networks without a local name server.

2. Physical web- The Physical Web lets you see a list of URLs that are being broadcast by things in your area that have a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon.

3. HyperCat- HyperCat is a JSON-based hypermedia catalogue format for exposing collections of URIs that is open and lightweight.

4. UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)- A set of networking protocols, now governed by the Open Connectivity Foundation, allows networked devices to identify each other’s presence on the network and develop functional network services for data exchange, communications, and entertainment.

Semantic Protocols for IoT

1. IOTDB- Standards for characterizing the Internet of Things based on JSON and Linked Data.

2. SensorML — SensorML describes sensors and measurement procedures using standard models and an XML encoding.

3. Semantic Sensor Net Ontology (SSNO) — W3C- Sensors, observations, and associated concepts are described in this ontology. It makes no mention of domain concepts, time, or locations. These are meant to be imported from other ontologies using OWL.

4. Wolfram Language Connected Devices (WLCD) — Each device is represented symbolically. Then there’s a standard set of Wolfram Language functions for dealing with devices, such as DeviceRead, DeviceExecute, DeviceReadBuffer, and DeviceReadTimeSeries.

5. SENML (Media Types for Sensor Markup Language) — This media type could be used by a simple sensor, such as a temperature sensor, in protocols like HTTP or CoAP to convey the sensor’s measurements or to be set.

6. RAML (RESTful API Modeling Language) — Makes managing the entire API lifecycle, from design to sharing, a breeze. It’s both concise and reusable because you only write what you need to define.

Security Protocols for IoT

1. Open Trust Protocol (OTrP) — In a Trusted Execution Environment, a protocol for installing, updating, and deleting apps as well as managing security configuration (TEE).

2. X.509 — Standard for managing digital certificates and public-key encryption using public key infrastructure (PKI). A crucial component of the Transport Layer Security protocol protects web and email communication.

Conclusion

Hundreds of distinct IoT protocols are now supported by the Internet of Things. As a result, several IoT specialists have begun to advocate for worldwide protocol standardization. However, because of its intrinsic fragmentation, the IoT market will almost certainly never require an all-encompassing standard. Fit-for-purpose IoT protocols for their deployment will continue to evolve as new applications and use cases emerge in the IoT market. It should be highlighted once more that safe and effective device management is critical to the long-term development of IoT networks around the world. This is one of the reasons why understanding and explaining the various IoT protocols is critical.

References

https://www.electroniclinic.com/thread-protocol-architecture-and-topology-fully-explained/

https://wisilica.com/company/top-6-iot-communication-protocols

https://data-flair.training/blogs/iot-technology/

https://www.avsystem.com/blog/iot-protocols-and-standards/

https://www.postscapes.com/internet-of-things-protocols/