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Abstract
This article looks at developments in
low power for the Internet of Things,
particularly the Thread consortium low
power extensions for IOT smart energy
and other competing consortia.
Low Power IoT trends
Smart energy is becoming an
increasingly important and competitive
capability in the Internet of Things. The
ability to run a sensor node for months
or even years rather than weeks is
driving chips and system developers
to look at new ways of deploying vast
networks of devices.
The latest innovation has emerged
from a consortium of companies that
calls itself the Thread Group and is
looking to roll out Thread, a new IP-
based wireless networking protocol
designed for low-power connected
products in the home. The Thread
protocol was founded by 7 industry-
leading companies, including Nest,
a California startup that developed
a smart thermostat and networked
smoke detector. Nest is now owned
by Google, and the Thread Group
also includes processor core designer
ARM, low power chip specialist Silicon
Labs, Samsung Electronics, Freescale
Semiconductor, Big Ass Fans and lock
maker Yale Security. ARM dominates
the space for wireless controllers from
a wide range of chip suppliers, so is an
important partner for Thread. Makers
of air conditioning systems and locks
are part of the consortium as these are
the end products that will be controlled
across the Internet.
Thread technology is based on
6LoWPAN, which uses the 802.15.4
2.4GHz wireless protocol that is also
used by ZigBee, although the two
are different. 6LoWPAN is specifically
designed to support the larger IPv6
address space that is needed for IoT
with a low power, low data rate network
running at up to 250kbit/s.
The low energy comes partly from
avoiding the 'hub and spoke' model
where all the nodes have to connect
to a hub. Being able to directly interact
with devices – over 250 – and over
the Internet can reduce the power
requirements.
Thread offers a robust self-healing
mesh networks that scale to hundreds
of devices with no single point of failure.
This reduces power as there is less
need to retransmit packets. The Thread
devices will also be simple to install with
a smartphone, tablet or computer so
that consumers can securely connect
Thread devices in the home to each
other and to the cloud for easy control
and access from anywhere.
Existing
wireless
networking
approaches were introduced long
before the Internet of Things gained
ground, says Vint Cerf, vice president
DK low energy IoT trends
Josh Mickolio, Digi-Key Corporation
IoT
Special Edition
40 l New-Tech Magazine Europe