Protocols of the Wireless Internet of Things

Abstract

This chapter provides a background on the lower layers of several wireless protocols for the Internet of Things (IoT). Those protocols are Bluetooth, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) G.9959. These are common wireless IoT protocols where each addresses a growing need in IoT applications. Among the wireless IoT technologies based on IEEE 802.15.4 are the ZigBee and Thread specifications. The ZigBee specification operates in multiple bands, as specified by the standard IEEE 802.1.4. The ZigBee specification utilizes a physical layer from the IEEE 802.105.4 standard for operations in each selected band. Much like the ZigBee specification, the Thread Group maintains the upper layers of the protocol while IEEE maintains the lower layers. The chapter finally provides a background on the wireless local area network (WLAN) standard IEEE 802.11, often called wireless fidelity (Wi‐Fi), as that WLAN protocol interacts with the wireless device protocols discussed.