MODULE 4

IoT Connectivity Technologies

 Introduction

• This chapter outlines the main features

of fifteen identified commonly used and
upcoming IoT connectivity enablers.
• These connectivity technologies can be
integrated with existing sensing,
actuation, and processing solutions for
extending connectivity to them.
IEEE 802.15.4
an Overview
 IEEE 802.15.4 Applications Space

• Home Networking
• Automotive Networks
• Industrial Networks
• Interactive Toys
• Remote Metering

Slide 4
 Some needs in the sensor
networks
Thousands of sensors in a small space → Wireless
but sensors are frequently stand alone →Low Power
and sensors are frequently isolated →Moderate Range.

Some of the challenges facing the standards committee

Slide 5
 802.15.4 General Characteristics
>The IEEE 802.15.4 standard represents the most popular standard
for low data rate wireless personal area networks (WPAN)
This standard uses only the first two layers—physical and data link—for
operation along with two new layers above it: 1) logical link control
(LLC) and 2) service-specific convergence sublayer (SSCS).
). The additional layers help in the communication of the lower
layers with the upper layers. Figure 7.1 shows the IEEE 802.15.4
operational layers.
The IEEE 802.15.4 standard was curated to operate in the ISM
(industrial, scientific, and medical) band.
The direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation technique is
used in IEEE 802.15.4 for communication purposes, enabling a wider
bandwidth of operation with enhanced security by the modulating
pseudo-random
Slide 6 noise signal.
 802.15.4 General Characteristics
Data rates of 250 kb/s, 40 kb/s and 20 kb/s.

This standard exhibits high tolerance to noise and interference and offers
better measures for improving link reliability. Fully handshaked
protocol for transfer reliability.
Star or Peer-to-Peer operation.
Support for low latency devices.
Low power consumption.
Frequency Bands of Operation
16 channels in the 2.4GHz ISM* band
10 channels in the 915MHz ISM band
1 channel in the European 868MHz band.
* ISM: Industrial, Scientific, Medical

Slide 7
 802.15.4 General Characteristics
• Typically, the low-speed versions of the IEEE 802.15.4
standard use binary phase shift keying (BPSK),
• The versions with high data rate implement offset quadrature
phase shift keying (O-QPSK) for encoding the message to be
communicated
• BPSK - 868/915 MHz, data transmission rate 20/40 kbps respectively. OQPSK - 2.4 GHz,
data transmission rate 250 kbps.
• Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) is
the channel access method used for maintaining the sequence of
transmitted signals and preventing deadlocks due to multiple sources
trying to access the same channel.
• a low duty cycle (typically, < 1%) to minimize the power
consumption
• The minimum power level defined is –3 dBm or 0.5 mW for
the radios utilizing this standard
 802.15.4 General Characteristics

• The minimum power level defined is –3 dBm or

0.5 mW for the radios utilizing this standard.
• The transmission, for most cases, is line of sight
(LOS), with the standard transmission range varying
between 10 m to 75 m.
• The best-case transmission range achieved
outdoors can be up to 1000 m.
IEEE 802.15.4 operational layers
 IEEE 802.15.4 PHY Overview
Operating Frequency Bands

Channel 0 Channels 1-10 2 MHz

868MHz / 915MHz
PHY
868.3 MHz 902 MHz 928 MHz

2.4 GHz
PHY Channels 11-26 5 MHz

2.4 GHz 2.4835 GHz

Slide Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 PHY Overview
Packet Structure

PHY Packet Fields

• Preamble (32 bits) – synchronization
• Start of Packet Delimiter (8 bits)
• PHY Header (8 bits) – PSDU length
• PSDU (0 to 1016 bits) – Data field

Start of PHY PHY Service

Preamble Packet Header Data Unit (PSDU)
Delimiter

6 Octets 0-127 Octets

Slide Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Design Drivers

∙ Extremely low cost

∙ Ease of implementation
∙ Reliable data transfer
∙ Short range operation
• Very low power consumption

Simple but flexible protocol

Slide 13 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
The device types and network types
supported by the IEEE 802.15.4
standard.
 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Typical Network Topologies

Slide 15 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Device Classes

• Full function device (FFD)

– Any topology
– Network coordinator capable
– Talks to any other device

• Reduced function device (RFD)

– Limited to star topology
– Cannot become a network coordinator
– Talks only to a network coordinator
– Very simple implementation

Slide 16 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Star Topology

PAN
Coordinator

Master/slave

Full function device Communications flow

Reduced function device

Slide 17 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Peer-Peer Topology

Point to point Cluster tree

Full function device Communications flow

Slide 18 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Combined Topology

Clustered stars - for example,

cluster nodes exist between rooms
of a hotel and each room has a
star network for control.

Communications flow
Full function device

Reduced function device

Slide 19 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 The IEEE 802.15.4 standard
supports two network types
• : 1) Beacon-enabled networks and
• 2) non-beacon-enabled networks.
• The periodic transmission of beacon messages characterizes
beacon-enabled networks. Here, the data frames sent via
slotted CSMA/CA with a superframe structure managed by a
personal area network (PAN) coordinator.
• These beacons are used for synchronization and association of
other nodes with the coordinator. The scope of operation of this
network type spans the whole network.
 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
General Frame Structure

5 Types of MAC Frames:

• Data Frame
• Beacon Frame
• Acknowledgment Frame
• MAC Command Frame
•Command Frame
Slide 21 9/27/05
 IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Traffic Types

• Periodic data
– Application defined rate (e.g. sensors)

• Intermittent data
– Application/external stimulus defined rate (e.g.
light switch)

• Repetitive low latency data

– Allocation of time slots (e.g. mouse)

Slide 22 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 Introduction to Zigbee

• Provides a framework for medium-range

communication in IoT connectivity.
• Defines PHY (Physical) and MAC (Media Access
Control) layers enabling interoperability between
multiple devices at low-data rates.
• Operates at 3 frequencies –
– 868 MHz (1 channel using data transmission rate up to 20
kbps)
– 902-928MHz (10 channels using data transmission rate of 40
kbps)
– 2.4 GHz (16 channels using data transmission rate of 250
kbps).
 Features of Zigbee
• The lower frequency bands use BPSK.
• For the 2.4 GHz band, OQPSK is used.
• The data transfer takes place in 128 bytes
packet size.
• The maximum allowed payload is 104 bytes.
• The nature of transmission is line of sight
(LOS).
• Standard range of transmission – upto 70m.
 Features of Zigbee (contd.)
• Relaying of packets allow transmission over
greater distances.
• Provides low power consumption (around 1mW per
Zigbee module) and better efficiency due to
adaptable duty cycle
• low data rates (20 - 250 kbit/s)
• low coverage radio (10 -100 m)
• Networking topologies include star, peer-to-peer, or
cluster tree (hybrid), mesh being the popular.
 Features of Zigbee (contd.)

• The Zigbee protocol defines three types of nodes:

Coordinators - Initializing, maintaining and
controlling the network. There is one and only one
per network.
– Routers - Connected to the coordinator or other routers.
Have zero or more children nodes. Contribute in multi hop
routing.
– End devices - Do not contribute in routing.
• Star topology has no router, one coordinator, and
zero or more end devices.
• In mesh and tree topologies, one coordinator
maintains several routers and end devices.
 Features of Zigbee (contd.)
• Each cluster in a cluster-tree network
involves a coordinator through several leaf
nodes.
• Coordinators are linked to parent
coordinator that initiates the entire network.
• ZigBee standard comes in two variants:
• ZigBee
• ZigBee Pro - offers scalability, security, and
improved performance utilizing many-to-one
routing scheme.
 802.15.4 Architecture

Application
s
•Network Routing
•Address translation
ZigBe •Packet
e Segmentation
•Profiles

IEEE 802.15.4
MAC

IEEE IEEE
802.15.4
868/915 802.15.4
2400
MHzPH MHz
PH
Y Y

Slide 30 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 ZigBee Stack Architecture

Slide 31 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 Typical ZigBee-Enabled Device Design

Typical design consist of RF IC and 8-bit

microprocessor with peripherals connected to an
application sensor or actuators
Slide 32 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 Wireless Technology Comparison Chart

34KB /14KB

356 μA

Slide 33 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05

 Competing/Similar Technologies
• Bluetooth
– http://www.bluetooth.org
– http://www.bluetooth.com
• X10
– Powerline protocol first introduced in the 1970's.
– http://www.x10.com/technology1.htm
• Z-wave
– Proprietary protocol for wireless home control networking.
– http://www.z-wavealliance.com/
• INSTEON
– Peer-to-peer mesh networking product that features a hybrid
radio/powerline transmission
– http://www.insteon.net
• nanoNET
– Proprietary set of wireless sensor protocols, designed to compete
with ZigBee.
– http://www.nanotron.com/
Slide 34 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 802.15.4/ZigBee Products

Control4 Home Automation System Eaton Home HeartBeat monitoring Chip Sets
http://www.control4.com/products/ system • Ember, http://www.ember.com/index.html
components/complete.htm www.homeheartbeat.com • ChipCon, http://www.chipcon.com
• Freescale, http://www.freescale.com

Software, Development Kits

• AirBee,
http://www.airbeewireless.com/pr
oducts.php
• Software Technologies Group,
http://www.stg.com/wireless/
•
Slide 35 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 Motorola Activity
NeuRFonTM
• Implementation of 802.15.4 &
ZigBee
• Aimed at enterprises
– Asset Tracking
– Security
– Public Safety
• Range: 10m
• Transmission interval: ~ 4
minutes
• Nodes move, Controller does not
• Battery life: 1 week to several
years (nodes with 2 AA batteries)
• Interfaces: machine-only
Slide 36 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 Motorola Activity
ConformablesTM
• Implementation of 802.15.4 only
• Aimed at consumers
– Home device control
– Location awareness SmartButton
– Personal reminders
• Range: 1 - 5m
LoBe
• Phone is controller
• Both nodes and can controller
move
• Battery life: ~1 week years Janus
(nodes with ~320 mAhr
rechargeable battery)
• Transmission interval: 1 second
• Interfaces: machine and human
Digital Paperclip
Slide 37 Joe Dvorak, Motorola 9/27/05
 More Information
• IEEE 2003 version of 802.15.4 MAC & Phy standard
– http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/802.15.4-2003.pdf
• ZigBee Specification
– http://www.zigbee.org/en/spec_download/download_request.asp
• 802.15.4 Tutorial
– http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/15/pub/2003/Jan03/03036r0P802-15_W
G-802-15-4-TG4-Tutorial.ppt
– Slides 3 – 17 were adapted from this tutorial
• ZigBee Technology: Wireless Control that Simply Works
– http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/oct03/articles/kinney/zigbee.htm
• ZigBee Technology: Wireless Control that Simply Works
– http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/oct03/articles/kinney/zigbee.htm
• Home networking with Zigbee
– http://www.embedded.com//showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18902431
– Slides 19 – 21 were adapted from this article
• Can the competition lock ZigBee out of the home?
– http://www.techworld.com/mobility/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1809