FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• A key consideration when designing IoT networks is the topology of the networks
• Any IoT application that requires operations over long distances can take advantage of cellular but the cost and power consumption are likely to be too high for most IoT applications
• In a mesh network every node is connected to each other
• In a star network topology all nodes are connected to one central node, which is typically the gateway to the Internet
• Industry forecasts expect 90 % of Bluetooth-enabled smartphones to be also Bluetooth Smart ready by 2018.
• Mesh networks provide multiple internal paths for movement, require small amounts of power to transmit, and can add nodes relatively easily
• One of the biggest challenges across IoT devices, sensors, networks and applications is the ability to understand and to communicate with each other
Z-Wave Z-Wave is a low-power, low data rate, communication technology, designed for home automation. It supports full mesh networks and is scalable allowing control of up to 232 devices. Z-Wave uses a simpler protocol than others allowing faster development.
• Frequency: 900MHz
• Range: 30m
• Data Rates: less than 100kbps
LoRaWAN LoRaWAN targets wide-area network applications with low power requirements including mobile communication in IoT, smart city and industrial applications. It is specifically optimised for low-power consumption and supports networks with thousands and millions of devices. The data transfer rate is very low at less than 50 kbps.
• Frequency: Various
• Range: 2-5km urban, 15km suburban
• Data Rates: less than 50 kbps
6LowPAN 6LowPAN stands for IPv6 Low-power wireless Personal Area Network. 6LowPAN is a networking protocol and can be used across Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4 and sub- 1GHz industrial, scientific and medical bands. A key attribute is the IPv6 stack, which has been important to enable IoT.
Bruce Zhou is CEO of Axilspot
IPv6 is the successor to IPv4 and enables any object in the world to connect to the Internet with its own unique IP address. It has been designed for home and building automation, and is a transport mechanism connecting complex control systems with devices through a low-power wireless network.
Thread Thread is based on IPv6 networking protocol and is meant for automating the home environment. It uses existing wireless silicon from chip vendors and supports a mesh network using IEEE802.15.4. It is capable of handling up to 250 nodes with high levels of authentication and encryption. It is based on 6LowPAN and designed to complement WiFi. It recognises that while WiFi is good for many consumer devices it has limitations for use in a home automation setup. A software upgrade allows users to run thread on existing IEEE802.15.4-enabled devices.
• Frequency: 2.4GHz
WiFi WiFi connectivity is an obvious choice for developers, especially within home environments and LANs. It provides fast data transfer and can handle high quantities of data. But its power consumption is likely to be too high for many IoT applications.
• Frequencies: 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands
• Range: Approximately 50m
• Data Rates: 150-200Mbps is typical, 600 Mbps maximum, latest 802.11-ac offers 500Mbps to 1Gbps
Cellular Any IoT application that requires operations over long distances can take advantage of Cellular GSM, 3G, 4G. Cellular is suitable for high volumes of data, but the cost and power consumption for managing high volumes of data transfer are likely to be too high for most IoT applications. Cellular is suitable for sensor driven, low data projects, transferred over the Internet.
• Frequencies: 900, 1800, 1900, 2100MHz
• Range: 35km max for GSM, 200km max for HSPA
• Data Rates: less than 170kps GPRS, less than 384kbps EDGE, less than 2Mbps UMTS, less than 10Mbps HSP, 3-10Mbps LTE
All the above parametres will find their way into IoT devices and applications based on the use cases. Future innovations rests in how they are combined and adapted to provide the best user experience in a costeffective manner, with high levels of security and robustness.
32 Issue 04 INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS