UNIT III - IoT PROTOCOLS AND TECHNOLOGY

SCADA and RFID Protocols - BACnet Protocol -Zigbee Architecture - 6LowPAN - CoAP
-Wireless Sensor Structure–Energy Storage Module–Power Management Module–RF
Module–Sensing Module

1. SCADA and RFID Protocols

SCADA:
SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a category of software applications for
controlling industrial processes, which is the gathering of data in$ real time$ from remote
locations in order to control equipment and conditions. SCADA provides organizations with
the tools needed to make and deploy data-driven decisions regarding their industrial
processes.
SCADA PROTOCOL:
Industrial automation has a variety of vertical markets and there are also many types of
SCADAs. IEEE created a standard specification, called Std C37.1™, for SCADA and
automation systems [116] in 2007, targeting mostly power SCADA applications. It’s
recognized in the specification that in recent years, network-based industrial automation
has greatly evolved with the use of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), or IoT devices in
our terms, in substations and power stations. The processing is now distributed, and
functions that used to be done at the control center can now be done by the IED, that is,
M2M between devices. Despite the fact that many functions can be moved to the IED,
utilities still need a master station, the IoT platform, for the operation of the power system.
Due to the restructuring of the electric industry, traditional vertically integrated electric
utilities are replaced by many entities such as GENCO (Generation Company), TRANSCO
(Transmission Company), DISCO (Distribution Company), ISO (independent system
operator), RTO (regional transmission organization), and so forth. To fulfill their role, each
of these entities needs a control center, that is, a substation, to receive and process data
and take appropriate control actions.

Page 20

0 0
Scenario showing integrated SCADA system to IoT

OPC, which stands for Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) for Process Control, is the
original name for a standard specification developed in 1996 by an industrial automation
industry task force. The standard specifies the communication of real-time plant data
between control devices from different manufacturers.
OPC was designed to provide a common bridge for Windows-based software applications
and process control hardware. Standards define consistent methods of accessing field
data from plant floor devices. This method remains the same regardless of the type and
source of data. An OPC server for one hardware device provides the same methods for an
OPC client to access its data as each and every other OPC server for that same or
another hardware device. The aim was to reduce the amount of duplicated effort required
from hardware manufacturers and their software partners, and from the SCADA and other
HMI producers, in order to interface the two. When a hardware manufacturer had
developed their OPC server for the new hardware device, their work was done to allow
anyone to access their device; and when the SCADA producer had developed their OPC
client, their work was done to allow access to any hardware, existing or yet to be created,
with an OPC-compliant server.
OPC has achieved great success in many application areas, most of them closely related
to or part of IoT applications. However, OPC’s success story is accompanied by some
caveats. For example, standard OPC DA (data access) is based on Microsoft’s COM and
DCOM technology and is consequently restricted to the Windows operating system. In
addition, DCOM communication is easily blocked by firewalls that prevent OPC clients
from accessing data over a wide-area network and the World Wide Web. New approaches,
such as XML-DA and United Architecture (UA) [234], have been developed to make OPC
technology available on other platforms or accessible by other systems.
The RFID protocols and data formats are relatively well defined, mostly by EPCglobal, and
unified compared with protocols and formats of the other three pillars of IoT. The RFID
protocols (such as PML, Object Naming Service [ONS], Edgeware, EPC Information

Page 21

0 0
Service [EPCIS], Application Level Event [ALE], etc.) have been described in the previous
chapters, so we will talk only about protocols for the related contactless smart cards here.

RFID:
RFID or Radio Frequency Identification is an automatic identification method that uses
wireless non-contact radio frequency waves in which data is digitally encoded in RFID tags
or smart labels which can be read by reader through radio waves.
RFID PROTOCOL:

The RFID protocols and data formats are relatively well defined, mostly by EPC global,
and unified compared with protocols and formats of the other three pillars of IoT. The RFID
protocols (such as PML, Object Naming Service [ONS], Edgeware, EPC Information
Service [EPCIS], Application Level Event [ALE], etc.) have been described in the previous
chapters, so we will talk only about protocols for the related contactless smart cards here.
The smart cards with contactless interfaces (RFID is a subset) are becoming increasingly
popular for payment and ticketing applications such as mass transit and stadiums.
The standard for contactless smart card communications is ISO/IEC 14443. It defines two
types of contactless cards (A and B) and allows for communications at distances up to
10$cm. An alternative standard for contactless smart cards is ISO/IEC 15693, which allows
communications at distances up to 50$cm.
Working of RFID Protocol

Page 22

0 0
2. BACnet Protocol

A data communication protocol that is used to build an automated control network,

is known as BACnet or Building Automation Control Network. This data communication
protocol is both an ISO & ANSI standard used for interoperability between cooperating
building automation devices. Bacnet Protocol includes a set of rules for governing the data
exchange on a computer network that simply covers all from what type of cable to utilize,
to form a particular command or request in a normal way.
To attain interoperability across a broad spectrum of equipment, the BACnet
specification includes three major parts. Primary, Secondary, and tertiary. $So the primary
part defines a technique to represent any kind of building automation apparatus in a
normal way.
The secondary part describes messages that can be transmitted across a network
of computers to check and manage such equipment. The final part describes a set of
suitable LANs which are used for conveying BACnet communications.
Bacnet Protocol Architecture

The BACnet protocol architecture is predominately restricted to lighting controls,

HVAC & gateways. This protocol highlights lightweight and efficient communication which
is optimized for short messages, small networks, and inter-networks.

BACnet protocol architecture is a collapsed architecture that matches to 4-layers of

the OSI model. The four layers in the BACnet architecture mainly include Application,
Network, Data Link & Physical. Even though, just the Network layer & Application layer are
simply BACnet.
The above architecture is the BACnet protocol stack which includes different layers
as shown in the diagram. This protocol is a collapsed version of the OSI stack. The
transport and session layers are not used. The application layer takes on the functions of
these two layers.

Page 23

0 0
BACnet Physical Layer
The upper layers of BACnet do not depend on the physical layer. So the Physical
layer of BACnet makes it feasible for BACnet to be executed on different networks. The
physical layers of BACnet have been specified with ARCNET, Ethernet, IP tunnels,
BACnet/IP, RS-232, RS485, and Lonworks/LonTalk. RS232 is for point-to-point
communication. RS485 supports up to 32 nodes with a distance of 1200 m at 76Kbps.
BACnet Protocol Link Layer
BACnet protocol is implemented directly with LonTalk or IEEE802.2 link layers. So it
specifies Point to Point (PTP) data link layer for RS232 connections. It specifies MS/TP
data link layer intended for RS-485 connections. The standard simply specifies BVLL
(BACnet Virtual Link Layer) which states all the services required through the BACnet
device at this link layer.
IP BACnet Virtual Link Layer encapsulates required control data in a header of
BACnet virtual link control information. Because of IP, BVLL, and BACnet protocol devices
can directly communicate over IP networks without the requirement of any router device.
BACnet protocol utilizes BBMD (BACnet broadcast management device) concept
which executes the required broadcast for the preferred link layer. So, the BACnet
broadcast message is changed into IP-based broadcast or multicast messages.
BACnet Network Layer
This layer simply specifies the required addresses of the network for routing.
BACnet network includes a minimum of one or above segments that are connected with
bridges once they utilize similar LAN technologies. If they utilize various LAN protocols
then they are connected through routers.
Application Layer
BACnet does not separate presentation as well as application layers. So it takes
care of reliability & sequencing or segmentation mechanisms generally connected with
both the session & transport layers. BACnet includes devices like objects to exchange
service primitives which are described with ASN.1 syntax & serialized with ASN.1 BER.
BACnet Security Layer
The concept of BACnet security can be understood easily with an example say
when BACnet device-A requests a session key from the key server for establishing secure
communication through device-B, then this key is transmitted to both the device-A &
device-B through the key server which is known as ‘SKab’. BACnet protocol uses 56-bit
DES encryption.

Advantages
The advantages of the Bacnet Protocol include the following.
• BACnet protocol is particularly designed for building automation as well as control
networks.
• It doesn’t depend on present LAN or WAN technologies.
• It is an American National Standard & a European pre-standard.

Page 24

0 0
 • It is scalable completely from small single building applications to universal
networks of devices.
• The implementers of BACnet can securely include non-standard extensions as well
as enhancements without influencing existing interoperability.
• It is adopted by the most famous fire protection companies in both the USA &
Europe.
• It is supported by different chiller manufacturers like Dunham-Bush, Carrier,
McQuay, York & Trane.
• In real building control applications, this protocol has a proven track record.

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of the Bacnet Protocol include the following.
• The main drawback of the BACnet protocol was a compliant problem. So because of
this issue, the BTL (BACnet Testing Laboratories) was introduced in the year 2000.
BTL is compliance & and independent testing organization. The main intention of this
is to test the products of BACnet to verify compliance with the standard. Once
approved; the product will get the logo of BTL.
• The problems or net-worthy attacks which are widely found in this protocol are; Lack
of spoofing & authentication, DoS attacks, immobilized network connections, and lack
of encryption & write access over devices.

Applications
The use of Bacnet Protocol includes the following.
• The BACnet is used in HVAC applications, fire control lighting control, security,
alarm & interfacing to utility companies.
• This protocol was particularly designed for building automation as well as control
applications.
• This protocol is used to provide mechanisms, especially for automation devices for
exchanging data irrespective of the specific building service they perform.
• This protocol can be used by digital controllers, computers & application-specific
otherwise unitary controllers with equivalent effect.
• BACnet protocol was initially developed to develop interoperability between building
automation devices; however, its data descriptions, as well as flexible architecture,
will make it work within a broad range of control applications.
• This is an object-oriented protocol, so used to signify network-accessible control
equipment.

Page 25

0 0
3. Zigbee Architecture

ZigBee is a Personal Area Network task group with low rate task group 4. It is a
technology of home networking. ZigBee is a technological standard created for
controlling and sensing the network. As we know that ZigBee is the Personal Area
network of task group 4 so it is based on IEEE 802.15.4 and is created by Zigbee Alliance.
!"
ZigBee is a standard that addresses the need for very low-cost implementation of Low
power devices with Low data rates for short-range wireless communications."

Types of ZigBee Devices: !

• Zigbee Coordinator Device: It communicates with routers. This device is used for
connecting the devices.
• Zigbee Router: It is used for passing the data between devices.
• Zigbee End Device: It is the device that is going to be controlled.!
$

General Characteristics of Zigbee Standard:

• Low Power Consumption

• Low Data Rate (20- 250 kbps)
• Short-Range (75-100 meters)
• Network Join Time (~ 30 msec)
• Support Small and Large Networks (up to 65000 devices (Theory); 240 devices
(Practically))
• Low Cost of Products and Cheap Implementation (Open Source Protocol)
• Extremely low duty cycle.
• 3 frequency bands with 27 channels.

Operating Frequency Bands (Only one channel will be selected for use in a network):

1. Channel 0: 868 MHz (Europe)

2. Channel 1-10: 915 MHz (the US and Australia)
3. Channel 11-26: 2.4 GHz (Across the World)

Page 26

0 0
Zigbee Network Topologies:

• Star Topology (ZigBee Smart Energy): Consists of a coordinator and several end
devices, end devices communicate only with the coordinator.
• Mesh Topology (Self Healing Process): Mesh topology consists of one coordinator,
several routers, and end devices.
• Tree Topology: In this topology, the network consists of a central node which is a
coordinator, several routers, and end devices. the function of the router is to extend
the network coverage.$

Architecture of Zigbee:!

Zigbee architecture is a combination of $

1. Application Layer
2. Network Layer
3. Medium Access Control Layer
4. Physical Layer!
$
• Physical layer: The lowest two layers i.e the
physical and the MAC (Medium Access Control)
Layer are defined by the IEEE 802.15.4
specifications. The Physical layer is closest to the hardware and directly controls
and communicates with the Zigbee radio. The physical layer translates the data
packets in the over-the-air bits for transmission and vice-versa during the reception.

• Medium Access Control layer (MAC layer): The layer is responsible for the
interface between the physical and network layer. The MAC layer is also
responsible for providing PAN ID and also network discovery through beacon
requests.

• Network layer: This layer acts as an interface between the MAC layer and the
application layer. It is responsible for mesh networking.

• Application layer: The application layer in the Zigbee stack is the highest protocol
layer and it consists of the application support sub-layer and Zigbee device object. It
contains manufacturer-defined applications.$

Channel Access:

1. Contention Based Method (Carrier-Sense Multiple Access With Collision

Avoidance Mechanism)
2. Contention Free Method (Coordinator dedicates a specific time slot to each device
(Guaranteed Time Slot (GTS)))

Zigbee Applications:
1. Home Automation
2. Medical Data Collection
3. Industrial Control Systems
4. meter reading system$
5. light control system
Page 27

0 0
4. 6LowPAN
6LoWPAN is an IPv6 protocol, and It’s extended from is IPv6 over Low Power Personal
Area Network. As the name itself explains the meaning of this protocol is that this protocol
works on Wireless Personal Area Network i.e., WPAN.

WPAN is a Personal Area Network (PAN) where the interconnected devices are centered
around a person’s workspace and connected through a wireless medium. You can read
more about WPAN at WPAN. 6LoWPAN allows communication using the IPv6 protocol.
IPv6 is Internet Protocol Version 6 is a network layer protocol that allows communication to
take place over the network. It is faster and more reliable and provides a large number of
addresses.

6LoWPAN initially came into existence to overcome the conventional methodologies that
were adapted to transmit information. But still, it is not so efficient as it only allows for the
smaller devices with very limited processing ability to establish communication using one
of the Internet Protocols, i.e., IPv6. It has very low cost, short-range, low memory usage,
and low bit rate.
It comprises an Edge Router and Sensor Nodes. Even the smallest of the IoT devices can
now be part of the network, and the information can be transmitted to the outside world as
well. For example, LED Streetlights.

• It is a technology that makes the individual nodes IP enabled.

• 6LoWPAN $can interact with 802.15.4 devices and also other types of devices on an
IP Network. For example, Wi-Fi.

• It uses AES 128 link layer security, which AES is a block cipher having key size of
128/192/256 bits and encrypts data in blocks of 128 bits each. This is defined in
IEEE 802.15.4 and provides link authentication and encryption.

Page 28

0 0
Basic Requirements of 6LoWPAN:

1. The device should be having sleep mode in order to support the battery saving.
2. Minimal memory requirement.
3. Routing overhead should be lowered.

Features of 6LoWPAN:

1. It is used with IEEE 802.15,.4 in the 2.4 GHz band.

2. Outdoor range: ~200 m (maximum)
3. Data rate: 200kbps (maximum)
4. Maximum number of nodes: ~100

Advantages of !6LoWPAN:

1. 6LoWPAN is a mesh network that is robust, scalable, and can heal on its own.
2. It delivers low-cost and secure communication in IoT devices.
3. It uses IPv6 protocol and so it can be directly routed to cloud platforms.
4. It offers one-to-many and many-to-one routing.
5. In the network, leaf nodes can be in sleep mode for a longer duration of time.

Disadvantages of 6LoWPAN:

1. It is comparatively less secure than Zigbee.

2. It has lesser immunity to interference than that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
3. Without the mesh topology, it supports a short range.

Applications of 6LoWPAN:

1. It is a wireless sensor network.

2. It is used in home-automation,
3. It is used in smart agricultural techniques, and industrial monitoring.

Security and Interoperability with 6LoWPAN:

• Security: 6LoWPAN security is ensured by the AES algorithm, which is a link layer
security, and the transport layer security mechanisms are included as well.$
• Interoperability: 6LoWPAN is able to operate with other wireless devices as well
which makes it interoperable in a network.

Page 29

0 0
5. CoAP
Constrained Application Protocol (COAP) is a client server-based protocol. With this
protocol, the COAP packet can be shared between different client nodes which are
commanded by the COAP server. The server is responsible to share the information
depending on its logic but has not acknowledged it. This is used with the applications
which support the state transfer model.$

CoAP is a session layer protocol that provides the RESTful (HTTP) interface between
HTTP client and server. It is designed by IETF Constrained RESTful Environment (CoRE)
working group. It is designed to use devices on the same constrained network between
devices and general nodes on the Internet. CoAP enables low-power sensors to use
RESTful services while meeting their low power constraints. This protocol is specially built
for IoT systems primarily based on HTTP protocols."

This network is used within the limited network or in a constrained environment. The
whole architecture of CoAP consists of CoAP client, CoAP server, REST CoAP proxy, and
REST internet."

The data is sent from CoAP clients (such as smartphones, RFID sensors, etc.) to the
CoAP server and the same message is routed to REST CoAP proxy. The REST CoAP
proxy interacts outside the CoAP environment and uploads the data over REST internet."

Page 30

0 0
6. RF module

An RF module (short for radio-frequency module) is a (usually) small electronic

device used to transmit and/or receive radio signals between two devices. In an embedded
system it is often desirable to communicate with another device wirelessly. This wireless
communication may be accomplished through optical communication or through radio-
frequency (RF) communication. For many applications, the medium of choice is RF since it
does not require line of sight. RF communications incorporate a transmitter and a receiver.
They are of various types and ranges. Some can transmit up to 500 feet. RF modules are
typically fabricated using RF CMOS technology.

Types of RF modules
The term RF module can be applied to many different types, shapes and sizes of
small electronic sub assembly circuit board. It can also be applied to modules across a
huge variation of functionality and capability. RF modules typically incorporate a printed
circuit board, transmit or receive circuit, antenna, and serial interface for communication to
the host processor.
Most standard, well known types are covered here:
• transmitter module
• receiver module
• transceiver module
• system on a chip module.

Transmitter module

An RF transmitter module is a small PCB sub-assembly capable of transmitting a

radio wave and modulating that wave to carry data. Transmitter modules are usually
implemented alongside a microcontroller which will provide data to the module which can
be transmitted. RF transmitters are usually subject to regulatory requirements which
dictate the maximum allowable transmitter power output, harmonics, and band edge
requirements.
Receiver modules

An RF receiver module receives the modulated RF signal, and demodulates it.

There are two types of RF receiver modules: superheterodyne receivers and
superregenerative receivers. Superregenerative modules are usually low cost and low
power designs using a series of amplifiers to extract modulated data from a carrier wave.
Superregenerative modules are generally imprecise as their frequency of operation varies
considerably with temperature and power supply voltage. Superheterodyne receivers have
a performance advantage over superregenerative; they offer increased accuracy and
stability over a large voltage and temperature range. This stability comes from a fixed
crystal design which in the past tended to mean a comparatively more expensive product.
However, advances in receiver chip design now mean that currently there is little price
difference between superheterodyne and superregenerative receiver modules.!

Page 31

0 0
Transceiver modules

An RF transceiver module incorporates both a transmitter and receiver. The circuit

is typically designed for half-duplex operation, although full-duplex modules are available,
typically at a higher cost due to the added complexity.
System on a chip (SoC) module

An SoC module is the same as a transceiver module, but it is often made with an
onboard microcontroller. The microcontroller is typically used to handle radio data
packetisation or managing a protocol such as an IEEE 802.15.4 compliant module. This
type of module is typically used for designs that require additional processing for
compliance with a protocol when the designer does not wish to incorporate this processing
into the host microcontroller.
Wireless protocols used in RF modules
RF modules, especially SoC modules, are frequently used to communicate
according to a pre-defined wireless standard, including:
• Zigbee
• Bluetooth Low Energy
• Wi-Fi
• IEEE 802.15.4
• Z-Wave

Typical applications
• Vehicle monitoring
• Remote control
• Telemetry
• Small-range wireless network
• Wireless meter reading
• Access control systems
• Wireless home security systems
• Area paging
• Industrial data acquisition system
• Radio tags reading
• RF contactless smart cards
• Wireless data terminals
• Wireless fire protection systems
• Biological signal acquisition
• Hydrological and meteorological monitoring
• Robot remote control
• Wireless data transmissions
• Digital video/audio transmission

Page 32

0 0