Leveraging Communication Protocol Stack for Overcoming and Solving Constrained Internet of Things (IoT) Systems

Ishant Sangwan

Vol. 9, Issue 1, Jan-Dec 2023

Page Number: 86 - 93

Abstract:

Constrained IoT devices—such as wearables, smart sensors, and industrial meters—deal with strict limitations in processing power, memory, energy, and bandwidth. This paper surveys the communication protocol stack tailored for such systems, from the physical and MAC layers up to applications and security. We analyze key protocols like IEEE 802.15.4, LoRaWAN, Bluetooth LE, 6LoWPAN, RPL, UDP/CoAP, MQTT, and security mechanisms such as DTLS, OSCORE, and EDHOC. Through comparative studies and tables, we demonstrate how protocol choices impact latency, reliability, energy consumption, and complexity. We explore virtualization frameworks like OpenWSN and SDN-based approaches enabling dynamic, runtime path adaptation. Finally, a case study of smart meter deployment illustrates an end-to-end stack—802.15.4 + 6LoWPAN, RPL, UDP/CoAP, OSCORE—highlighting design trade-offs. We conclude by pinpointing future directions: lightweight crypto, cross-layer optimization, interoperability, and machine-learning–driven protocol selection. References include academic and industry-standard DOIs to ensure validity and traceability.

References

• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) OSCORE Working Group. (2019). Object security for constrained RESTful environments (RFC 8613). https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC8613
• Norrman, K., [et al.]. (2020). Formal analysis of EDHOC key establishment. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2007.11427
• OpenWSN Consortium. (n.d.). Standard IoT stack implementation. https://openwsn.atlassian.net
• Petersen, H., Loyall, J., [et al.]. (2018). NDN, CoAP, and MQTT: A comparative measurement study in the IoT. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1806.01444
• Restuccia, G., [et al.]. (2020). Low power IoT communication security: On the performance of DTLS and TLS 1.3. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2011.12035
• Shelby, Z., & Bormann, C. (2011). 6LoWPAN: The wireless embedded Internet. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470660200

Back Download