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
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Hersent, Olivier, et al. The Internet of Things: Key Applications and Protocols. Chichester, West
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Hong, Jason, and Mary Baker. "Wearable Computing." IEEE Pervasive Computing 13.2 (2014):
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"The Internet of Things Is Poised to Change Everything, Says IDC." Press Release Distribution,
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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.
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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
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