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Internet of Things (IoT) protocols and standards are often disregarded when discussing IoT technology. Most discussions center around communication; without proper IoT protocols in place, however, communication will break down. Device, sensor, gateway server interaction, and user application interaction are part of this larger Internet-of-Things ecosystem.
IoT Protocols By Definition And Vision
What are iot protocols? The primary objective of IoT protocols is to establish safe and seamless connections among devices. Their four pillars include device, connectivity, data analytics and analytics - providing layer-by-layer security protections against data transit.
Technology users interacting with IoT devices and technologies are classified as technology users. However, as noted, billing, data exchanges and billing processes fall under the purview of business users. Each connected and communicating device connects via multiple components within its device layer (sensors, hardware actuators, software gates). The data layer refers to information gathered, handled, stored or examined within business settings for reporting or analysis.
IoT Protocol Connection Models
The network topology significantly impacts communication, yet there is no standard pattern for data routing. Nonetheless, for IoT implementations, the basic models are employed singly or in combination, and they include:
- Device-to-device: Provides communication via IoT protocols like Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave 4G/5G WiFi among devices located close together via IoT protocols like Bluetooth/ZigBee/Z-Wave/4G/5G and WiFi networks.
- Device-to-gatewayL: Under this paradigm, smart devices use an intermediary platform - like WiFi, LPWAN or Ethernet IoT protocols - to interface with data systems. Device-to-gateway platforms collect sensor data, evaluate it and send it directly to a cloud or data center destination system for processing and storage. Furthermore, connection models return any issues to their source device in case there are issues.
- Device-to-data: Utilizing edge computing enables direct device-to-data source connections. Popular models for these connections include BLE, LoRaWAN and Z-Wave.
- Gateway-to-data: Gateways for IoT enable information flow between cloud or data center and mediator platforms or central hubs in an orderly fashion, typically between Universal Data Connector (UDC) and Open Automation Software (OAS) gateways. These two solutions have proven themselves reliable.
- Communication between data: The protocol connection paradigm allows data transmission between cloud servers and data centers, including IoT protocols such as MQTT, HTTP, REST, etc.
Why Are IoT Protocols Important?
Protocols and standards form an indispensable component of the IoT technology stack, rendering hardware meaningless without them. Through them, all the devices connected through this Internet of Things (IoT) network communicate - exchanging information or transmitting commands to each other using IoT protocols; additionally, users can interact with and control devices and extract significant bits of knowledge through these shared bits of data or commands that come their way. Accordingly, let's investigate some key IoT protocols and standards your company would need to implement by 2024.
How Many IoT Protocols Are There?
Short answer: absolutely everything. Due to the diversity of Internet of Things technology, an IoT system may include various smart devices, protocols and applications depending on its use case or project scope. Device types and protocols could change depending on a given project.
Experts have developed a method to organize all elements of IoT architecture into layers due to the diverse system types and uses, which enable IT teams to maintain components more easily. By conforming to or being defined by specific layers, the likelihood that these systems communicate between levels increases substantially.
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model offers one of the best frameworks for understanding the layers of the Internet of Things with its top-down architecture and seven distinct levels, providing one of the clearest views into its workings. Put, top-down refers to layer definition starting at what an average user uses - such as browsing websites on their smartphone - all the way down to Ethernet cables delivering data silently without impact. Here are the most commonly used iot protocols:
- The mobile and web applications you might use to communicate with the devices in an Internet of Things system are included in the application layer.
- The presentation layer is responsible for transforming and encrypting data gathered from IoT devices so that the application layer may display it legibly.
- The session layer functions as an inbound and outbound data scheduler. An IoT system must plan communication between two devices by initiating a session whenever such communication is required.
- The transport layer is comparable to a shipping company's fleet of trucks. Still, instead of moving shipping containers, it moves data packets.
- Network Layer Coordinates data transfer within a security system, acting like the post office for data. Routers are integral to this network layer by instructing data packets on their journey towards their destinations.
- The data link layer connects devices to exchange data via the network layer while correcting faults caused by anomalies or broken hardware in the physical layer (cell towers, Ethernet cables, etc).
What Low-Power Protocols Are Available For IoT Devices?
As part of your implementation plan for an IoT solution, be mindful of low-power protocols and networking requirements. Here, we discuss several such low-power IoT device protocols - among them are some.
- Zigbee: Popular among home and building automation users, Zigbee is an energy-efficient, low-power mesh network protocol for short-range communication between devices. Zigbee can expand communication to multiple devices at the same time with various uses.
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE): BLE is a low-power version of Bluetooth intended to meet the power demands of the Internet of Things devices, typically wearables, sensors and smart home appliances. It allows short-range wireless communication among these objects. One use case includes wearing sensors connected with wearable devices.
- IEEE 802.15.4: This standard establishes a low-power wireless communication protocol, forming the foundation for Zigbee and Thread protocols. This makes this ideal for Internet of Things applications because its frequency band sits within 2.4 GHz's low data rate spectrum range and supports low-power applications.
- Thread: an IPv6 address scheme-based, low-power wireless networking protocol intended for home automation and connectivity among smart gadgets. IP-based low-power device communication within Thread uses 6LoWPAN (6 IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Networks).
Keep in mind that additional low-power protocols and standards are available for Internet of Things devices; thus, this list may not be comprehensive. Standard protocol selection depends on several criteria, including use case, range requirements, power consumption restrictions and interoperability needs - each plays an essential part in deciding a protocol option.
What Protocols Do IoT-Qualified Devices Use?
IoT standards and protocols are divided into several distinct groups. These are the following:
IoT Data Protocols
Let's delve more closely into each protocol category: low-power IoT devices are connected through IoT data protocols that facilitate user-side hardware communication technologies without an internet connection. These protocols and standards connect through either wired or cellular networks. Common IoT data protocols include but aren't limited to, XMPP, MQTT, CoAP DDS and HTTO as examples of low-power protocols used.
Network Protocols For IoT
Let's examine the protocols in each category in more detail. Low-power IoT electronic devices are connected via IoT data protocols. They enable user-side hardware communication without requiring an internet connection. IoT data protocols and standards are connected through a wired or cellular network. IoT data protocols include, but are not limited to, XMPP, MQTT, CoAP, DDS, and HTTP.
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Conclusion
As evident from this discussion, selecting appropriate IoT protocols and standards for your applications is critical. When making incorrect choices, an entire technology stack collapses, wasting effort or time implementing IoT applications. Multiple wireless protocols are supported by the ecosystem supporting this technology space - leading many experts to advocate for global standardization - while this may or may not be appropriate given how fragmented the ecosystem structure is.
IoT protocols serve as a common language and communication channel among various smart devices to facilitate interaction, thus providing comprehensive device management. IoT protocols consider connected devices' needs, security concerns and secure communication needs. Each IoT protocol was created with a specific architecture regarding risk mitigation based on the current situation or usage context. If you need IoT specialists from any industry who can develop systems connected with IoT for you, then look no further! We offer IoT-connected systems tailored specifically for you.
