The Internet of Things (IoT) shall be able to incorporate transparently and seamlessly a large number of different and heterogeneous end systems, while providing open access to selected subsets of data for the development of a plethora of digital services. Building a general architecture for the IoT is hence a very complex task, mainly because of the extremely large variety of devices, link layer technologies, and services that may be involved in such a system. In this paper, we focus specifically to an urban IoT system that, while still being quite a broad category, are characterized by their specific application domain. Urban IoTs, in fact, are designed to support the Smart City vision, which aims at exploiting the most advanced communication technologies to support added-value services for the administration of the city and for the citizens. This paper hence provides a comprehensive survey of the enabling technologies, protocols, and architecture for an urban IoT. Furthermore, the paper will present and discuss the technical solutions and best-practice guidelines adopted in the Padova Smart City project, a proof-of-concept deployment of an IoT island in the city of Padova, Italy, performed in collaboration with the city municipality.

/pdf/internet-of-things-for-smart-cities-u3qvvujxy2.pdf

Internet of Things for Smart Cities

Low-Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs) are a class of network in which
both the routers and their interconnect are constrained. LLN routers
typically operate with constraints on processing power, memory, and
energy (battery power). Their interconnects are characterized by high
loss rates, low data rates, and instability. LLNs are comprised of
anything from a few dozen to thousands of routers. Supported traffic
flows include point-to-point (between devices inside the LLN), point-
to-multipoint (from a central control point to a subset of devices
inside the LLN), and multipoint-to-point (from devices inside the LLN
towards a central control point). This document specifies the IPv6
Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), which
provides a mechanism whereby multipoint-to-point traffic from devices
inside the LLN towards a central control point as well as point-to-
multipoint traffic from the central control point to the devices
inside the LLN are supported. Support for point-to-point traffic is
also available. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

/pdf/rpl-ipv6-routing-protocol-for-low-power-and-lossy-networks-59sbz5ta0b.pdf

RPL: IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks

IoT security: Review, blockchain solutions, and open challenges

The IoT paradigm holds the promise to revolutionize the way we live and work by means of a wealth of new services, based on seamless interactions between a large amount of heterogeneous devices. After decades of conceptual inception of the IoT, in recent years a large variety of communication technologies has gradually emerged, reflecting a large diversity of application domains and of communication requirements. Such heterogeneity and fragmentation of the connectivity landscape is currently hampering the full realization of the IoT vision, by posing several complex integration challenges. In this context, the advent of 5G cellular systems, with the availability of a connectivity technology, which is at once truly ubiquitous, reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient, is considered as a potentially key driver for the yet-to emerge global IoT. In the present paper, we analyze in detail the potential of 5G technologies for the IoT, by considering both the technological and standardization aspects. We review the present-day IoT connectivity landscape, as well as the main 5G enablers for the IoT. Last but not least, we illustrate the massive business shifts that a tight link between IoT and 5G may cause in the operator and vendors ecosystem.

/pdf/internet-of-things-in-the-5g-era-enablers-architecture-and-4vjccjwnie.pdf

Internet of Things in the 5G Era: Enablers, Architecture, and Business Models

The Internet of Things (IoT) introduces a vision of a future Internet where users, computing systems, and everyday objects possessing sensing and actuating capabilities cooperate with unprecedented convenience and economical benefits. As with the current Internet architecture, IP-based communication protocols will play a key role in enabling the ubiquitous connectivity of devices in the context of IoT applications. Such communication technologies are being developed in line with the constraints of the sensing platforms likely to be employed by IoT applications, forming a communications stack able to provide the required power—efficiency, reliability, and Internet connectivity. As security will be a fundamental enabling factor of most IoT applications, mechanisms must also be designed to protect communications enabled by such technologies. This survey analyzes existing protocols and mechanisms to secure communications in the IoT, as well as open research issues. We analyze how existing approaches ensure fundamental security requirements and protect communications on the IoT, together with the open challenges and strategies for future research work in the area. This is, as far as our knowledge goes, the first survey with such goals.

Security for the Internet of Things: A Survey of Existing Protocols and Open Research Issues

This document describes the Network Mobility (NEMO) Basic Support
protocol that enables Mobile Networks to attach to different points in
the Internet. The protocol is an extension of Mobile IPv6 and allows
session continuity for every node in the Mobile Network as the network
moves. It also allows every node in the Mobile Network to be reachable
while moving around. The Mobile Router, which connects the network to
the Internet, runs the NEMO Basic Support protocol with its Home
Agent. The protocol is designed so that network mobility is
transparent to the nodes inside the Mobile Network. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

/pdf/network-mobility-nemo-basic-support-protocol-5czyp52jff.pdf

Network Mobility (NEMO) Basic Support Protocol

This document updates RFC 4944, "Transmission of IPv6 Packets over
IEEE 802.15.4 Networks". This document specifies an IPv6 header
compression format for IPv6 packet delivery in Low Power Wireless
Personal Area Networks (6LoWPANs). The compression format relies on
shared context to allow compression of arbitrary prefixes. How the
information is maintained in that shared context is out of scope. This
document specifies compression of multicast addresses and a framework
for compressing next headers. UDP header compression is specified
within this framework. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Compression Format for IPv6 Datagrams over IEEE 802.15.4-Based Networks

The Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL)
specification defines a generic Distance Vector protocol that is
adapted to a variety of network types by the application of specific
Objective Functions (OFs). An OF states the outcome of the process
used by a RPL node to select and optimize routes within a RPL Instance
based on the Information Objects available; an OF is not an algorithm.
This document specifies a basic Objective Function that relies only on
the objects that are defined in the RPL and does not use any protocol
extensions. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Objective Function Zero for the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL)

Industrial and IP-enabled low-power wireless networking technologies are converging, resulting in the Industrial Internet of Things. On the one hand, low-power wireless solutions are available today that answer the strict reliability and power consumption requirements of industrial applications. These solutions are based on Time- Synchronized Channel Hopping, a medium access control technique at the heart of industrial standards such as the WirelessHART and ISA100.11a, and layer 1 and 2 standards such as IEEE802.15.4e. On the other hand, a range of standards have been published to allow low-power wireless devices to communicate using the Internet Protocol (IP), thereby becoming true “fingers of the Internet,” and greatly simplifying their integration into existing networks. This article acknowledges the standardization effort to combine those capabilities. The networks resulting from this convergence exhibit reliability and power consumption performances compatible with demanding industrial applications, while being easy to integrate, and following the end-to-end paradigm of today's Internet. In particular, this article presents the work being done in 6TiSCH, a newly-formed working group in the Internet Engineering Task Force, which is standardizing the mechanisms making the Industrial Internet of Things a reality.

6TiSCH: deterministic IP-enabled industrial internet (of things)

Wireless, low power field devices enable industrial users to
significantly increase the amount of information collected and the
number of control points that can be remotely managed. The deployment
of these wireless devices will significantly improve the productivity
and safety of the plants while increasing the efficiency of the plant
workers. For wireless devices to have a significant advantage over
wired devices in an industrial environment the wireless network needs
to have three qualities: low power, high reliability, and easy
installation and maintenance. The aim of this document is to analyze
the requirements for the routing protocol used for low power and lossy
networks (L2N) in industrial environments.

Pascal Thubert

Papers

Network Mobility (NEMO) Basic Support Protocol

Compression Format for IPv6 Datagrams over IEEE 802.15.4-Based Networks

Objective Function Zero for the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL)

6TiSCH: deterministic IP-enabled industrial internet (of things)

Industrial Routing Requirements in Low-Power and Lossy Networks