Student’s Last Name 1

The Symbiotic Relationship between the Internet of Things / Cloud of Things and IPv6

Matthew Windsor

Dr Joseph Myongho Yi

Distributed Computing & Networks

8 December 2022

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Contents

Abstract..........................................................................................................................................2

Statement of Problem....................................................................................................................2

What is the Internet of Things?......................................................................................................3

Who will use the Internet of Things?.............................................................................................5

Why is the Internet of Things/ Cloud of Things driving IPv6 adoption?.........................................6

From the Ground Up: the Physical Layer......................................................................................7

The Data Link Layer......................................................................................................................8

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................10

Works Cited.................................................................................................................................11

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Abstract

As the power requirements and cost of microprocessors continues to drop, the demand to

integrate technology into every facet of consumer products will drive an “internet of things”

(IoT). Applications include connected cars, appliances, utilities, electronics, healthcare and

wellbeing devices and home automation. Network connectivity will drive the communication

layer between these devices. This paper will provide a high level overview of the fieldbus

technologies, protocols and standards being used and developed to facilitate communication

across devices. It will also explore connection and predictive algorithms that are being

developed to promote efficiency and security.

Statement of Problem

Internet Protocol version four, or IPv4, currently routes the majority of the traffic on the

Internet (BCP 1). IPv4 uses thirty two bit addressing, which limits the total number of available

addresses to 2^23 assignments. As of August 17th, 2014 the projected address pool exhaustion

date is February 16th 2015 for ARIN and July 17th 2019 for AFRINIC (BCP) (Detailed Chart on

Appendix A. Simply put, the number of connected devices has been growing faster than the

internet service provider’s ability to uniquely assign addresses.

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Thankfully, Internet Protocol version six, or IPv6 was developed by the Internet

Engineering Task Force (IETF) to address the problem of IPv4 address exhaustion. IPv6 uses

128 bit addressing, allowing a possible 2^128 unique addresses. This exponential

(approximately 8 x 10^28 percent) expansion allows for the expected growth in CoT and IoT

devices. Unfortunately, IPv4 and IPv6 are not interoperable. The current adoption rate stands at

a mere four percent (BCP). More importantly, IPv6 supports the IEEE 802.14.4 standard, which

includes the low power and low data rate transfer that is vital to IoT technology.

I will be focusing on the development of IPv6 as the catalyst for widespread consumer

adoption of IoT and CoT equipment. I will also review current IoT and CoT trends in mobile

computing, such as monitoring devices and feedback application and their use across various

fields of use.

What is the Internet of Things?

The internet of things (IoT) or cloud of things (CoT) is the interactive component of

devices that communicate over existing internet infrastructure. Many of these interactions are

machine to machine (MtM) rather than traditional human-machine interfaces used in traditional

electronic products. These objects also use imbedded software to monitor both internal states

and external or environmental factors. Given a large enough scale, this provides a level of sensor

and interactive granularity that is not possible with traditional sensors and monitoring software.

Almost anything large enough to support power supply equipment and radio transmission

hardware is a candidate for inclusion.

The first wave of IoT devices has already made it to the consumer market. The three

largest segments include wearables, security and utility applications. Wearables, sometimes

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referred to as wearable technology, fashion technology or wearable devices include clothing and

accessories that use embedded electronic technology for communication, entertainment,

monitoring and feedback applications. The difference between the various wearable “gadgets”

and IoT wearables is the inclusion of internet or Bluetooth connectivity for sending and receiving

information (Hong 3). Some examples of wearables include activity trackers (FitBit, Jawbone

Samsung Gear Fit and MisFit) , smartwatches (Galaxy Gear, Pebble, Sony SW) , smart glasses

(such as google glass) and e-textiles (lilypad, Flora).

Fig 1. Wearables (Image courtesy of PulsoSocial / Creative Commons).

Security devices have long used copper land line as the primary means of

communication. Newer version of security items are not only independent of the costs of

external monitoring, but are also de-centralized from a primary system. This allows for

redundancy as well as application specific installation. The switch from centralized monitoring

to an internet based protocol also allows for more than one user to view the security appliances.

Some examples of IoT security devices include IP cameras (ZModo and Foscam), IP door locks

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(Kwikset, Schilling, Samsung and Sargent), and IP monitors (temperature, smoke, fire, water,

humidity, motion and light sensors from a variety of manufacturers).

Utility applications, once only used in large corporations or campuses, are rapidly

becoming available to the average homeowner. Google’s recent acquisition of Nest Labs for 3.2

billion was a clear sign that utility IoT is on the road to ubiquitous status. Utility IoT

applications include usage monitoring (Kill-a-watt wireless, Belkin MeWO, Efergy E2) , heating

and air applications (Pelican Wireless, Lutron HVAC, Johnson Controls and ICM controls) and

efficiency devices to include occupancy, solar and wind power collection (Levitons LevNet RF,

Magnum Energy MagWeb and Power-One PVI-CDD).

Who will use the Internet of Things?

The early adopters of CoT and IoT are concentrated in areas where systems and processes

require elaborate monitoring and quality control standards. Improved communication and

monitoring devices allows healthcare facilities to detect and predict patient welfare at a much

lower cost than traditional screening and investigative procedures. These devices “close the

loop” of medical care by allowing healthcare workers to remotely monitor, adjust and track

patient process. Improved processes lead to lower costs in service and improved patient health.

The CoT an IoT technology will also allow healthcare professionals to share data and best

practices. Information in healthcare is currently isolated and shared years after the initial studies

via journals and presentations. Standardized, real time data would allow the medical community

to analyze trends, leading to a quicker diagnosis and access to the best possible treatment on a

global level. This “flattening” of information has the greatest potential in improving patient

health in developing nations, especially in rural or underserved areas.

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Manufacturing industries have also embraced CoT and IoT technology. Data collection

devices are being placed on manufacturing equipment to both speed production time and produce

items at a lower cost. Many companies are using CoT technology to run dashboard software

systems that can represent multiple production sites and logistic opportunities that would have

been unfeasible economically if performed by human labor or even traditional computing. CoT

devices also provide maintenance and failure prediction, and are often able to forecast changes in

machinery lineup or ordering anomalies before production can be affected.

Figure 2. Control Software with IoT sensors, Image courtesy of Rockwell Automation, Creative

Commons)

Why is the Internet of Things/ Cloud of Things driving IPv6 adoption?

As previously mentioned, the number of assignable addresses in IPv4 is rapidly

depleting. The rate at which the IoT /CoT is coming to market will drive the push to IPv6 for

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several reasons. The first reason will be sheer numbers. International Data Corporation (IDC) is

predicting that the IoT /CoT will grow to 212 billion devices by the end of 2020 (BusinessWire).

The second factor is the growing need to standardize the current market. Currently the market is

flooded with proprietary standards, which has spawned a competition much like the BluRay vs

HD-DVD format war. IDC reports over 4.8 trillion in revenues for 2012 and a potential 8.9

trillion for 2020. With such high figures it is no wonder that competition will be fierce to design

and promote the market standard. ANT, ANT+, ZigBee, Nike+, IrDA, ZigBee RF4CE are the

major contenders in the low power market, but no one technology currently has a dominant

market share. IPv6 has several features that will lower the cost of standardization. In the next

three sections I will discuss how the IPv6 eliminates many of the workarounds and limitations

that are impeding current development of low power devices that are the backbone of future IoT

innovation.

From the Ground Up: the Physical Layer

While a physical size has not been set for formally classifying IoT / CoT devices, it is

safe to say that the market has been moving toward the smallest possible device. This race

toward miniaturization has two factors. The first: smaller is more efficient; modern

semiconductors use a very small feature size such as the 28 nm die for the A7 chip (Tanner).

The smaller size allows the chip to run at a lower power than previous generation designs with

the added benefit of a faster CPU clock rate. The second: the ability to embed objects within

equipment. Devices which lacked connectivity due to size are now candidates for IoT

integration. This includes industrial applications where devices need to be encapsulated within

machinery. The radio frequency is also optimized for lower power devices (2400-2483.5 Mhz)

(IEEE). The IEEE 802.14.4 standard allows for low power and low data rate transfer (250

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kbit/s)(IEEE). Also important to IoT/CoT devices is the smaller payload of 127 bytes(IEEE).

This standard allows engineers to design very low power hardware transmission systems, which

has always been difficult if not impossible with older 802.11 standards

Figure 3. Example of IoT/CoT Physical Layer

The Data Link Layer

Up to this point we have been talking about unmodified IPv6 in regard to IoT/CoT

devices. When we examine the data link layer we find that IPv6 can be customized further by

the use of 6LoWPAN, (IPv6 over Low Power Personal Area Networks. It is important to note

that IPv6 adoption is required for 6LoWPAN operation. 6LoWPAN places an adaptation layer

above the 802.14.4 layer (physical). This operates as a wireless sensor node (WSN) with full

IPv6 capabilities. Some of the most important aspects of IPv6 and 6LoWPAN for IoT / CoT

devices, or any mobile devices is the ability to provide a reliable, single-hop link between

devices. This eliminates the triangulation redundancies with IPv4 and mobile devices. Also

important to note in the data link layer is the network is not required to stay in beacon mode.

Networks that chose to run without the beacon mode can send IPv6 datagrams in contention

based channeling across Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)

PHY Layer

SensorProcessor

Low Power

802.14.4 RF Transmitter

2400-2483 Mhz, low powerPayload

1270 byt

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(IEEE). The ability to eliminate the beacon reduces the amount of power consumed by IoT/CoT

devices.

Beacon Mode Image courtesy of Nagkkd, Creative Commons

Photo courtesy of Ondrej Kiss, Creative Commons Licence

Beacon free, in contention mode

Figure 4. Beacon mode vs non beacon mode

Barriers and Issues

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As this field spans many areas, from energy conservation, industrial applications,

infrastructure management, healthcare systems, automation and transportation many of the

commercial applications have proprietary technology that may limit the interoperability for IoT

devices. In addition, the IoT is in the earliest stages of development and many of the protocols,

technologies and standards are still being developed. One of the most alarming issues facing IoT

development is the potential fragmentation of protocols by extended use of dual stack servers.

While dual stack technology will allow IPv4 devices to communicate via tunneling, the preferred

method would involve their use solely as a stopgap measure. Depending on the market and

continued production of IPv4 devices, the adoption of IoT /CoT devices may not be enough to

push the tipping point toward permanent IPv6 adoption. Unlike many other protocols, the

development of IPv7 has yet to be started, so there is little chance of a third alternative in the

near future.

Conclusion

Moore’s law has driven the size and power of semiconductors and system on a chip down

to a size previously unthinkable by previous generations. In addition to size, the power

requirements have fallen significantly, even in the past five years. These two factors are driving

a surge in production of small scale, connected devices, commonly referred to as the Internet of

Things and/or Cloud of Things. As connectedness is a defining term of IoT/CoT devices, the

development of network protocols must reflect both the number of devices coming to market, as

well as the limitations in both transmission speed and radio signal power. Internet Protocol

version four IPv4 has a limited number of assignable addresses. Given the rapid growth of

devices on the market, the exhaustion date is rapidly approaching. The new version, Internet

Protocol version six (IPv6) has several features that aid in the design and development of

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IoT/CoT devices, including lower transmission rates, radio signal requirements and better ability

to route mobile network traffic (single hop). If the IoT/CoT devices production rate increases at

the rate predicted, the demand for IPv6 protocol will drive the adoption percentage, eventually

reaching a tipping point at which IPv4 will be phased out.

Works Cited

"Internet of Things." International Journal of Communication Systems 25.9 (2012): 1.

Hersent, Olivier, et al. The Internet of Things: Key Applications and Protocols. Chichester, West

Sussex, U.K: J. Wiley & Sons, 2012."Virtualize Your IT Infrastructure." VMware: Benefits of

"BGP Reports." BGP Reports. 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Aug. 2014.

Hong, Jason, and Mary Baker. "Wearable Computing." IEEE Pervasive Computing 13.2 (2014):

7-9.

"The Internet of Things Is Poised to Change Everything, Says IDC." Press Release Distribution,

EDGAR Filing, XBRL, Regulatory Filings. Berkshire Hathaway, 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Aug.

2014.

Tanner, Jason. "Inside the Iphone 5s." 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Aug. 2014.

"IEEE Get Program." IEEE-SA -IEEE Get 802 Program. Web. 18 Aug. 2014.

Virtualization, Increase IT Efficiency and Virtual

McEwen, Adrian, Hakim Cassimally, and Inc ebrary. Designing the Internet of Things.

Chichester, England: Wiley, 2014.

Xia, Feng, et al. "Internet of Things." International Journal of Communication Systems 25.9

(2012): 1101-2.

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Appendix A