Module-4

Wireless Communication Technologies in IoT:

Onboard: I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), UART (Universal
Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter), CAN Bus (Controller Area Network) – especially in
vehicles, LIN (Local Interconnect Network) – for simpler automotive sub-systems.
Offboard communication: Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ethernet, Cellular (LTE,
NB-IoT), USB, HDMI, SDI (for video/audio systems), Lorawan, Infrared.
Evaluate and justify the selection of an
appropriate IoT communication technology for a
given project.
• There is no single IoT communication protocol that will always save the day and work well for every task.
Selecting the right technology is a big decision, and it needs to be approached carefully.
• Every protocol has its advantages and a set of conditions when it shines. When looking for the best option
for IoT project, consider the following criteria:
• Device capabilities: Some devices support specific communication protocols. So, your hardware choices will
restrict protocol options.
• Synchronous response requirements: If the system doesn’t expect immediate response to actions, you can
use asynchronous communication patterns and select from a wide range of MQ protocols, such as MQTT.
• Connectivity: Depending on the connection type and device requirements, you need to consider such factors
as data transmission rate, communication range, and latency.
• Power consumption: This is not a problem if you can afford to plug your devices into power sockets, like with
stationary home automation products. But if your devices run on batteries and can’t be recharged, then a
low-power protocol would be a better alternative.
• Allocated budget: IoT communication protocols come with different price tags. For some of them, the
installation costs are minimal, and an ordinary smartphone can act as a gateway. For others, it will cost you a
considerable sum to enter the corresponding alliance, and afterwards, you will pay a fee for every connected
device — and that’s not to mention the cost of incorporating custom gateways into your IoT deployment.
IoT communication technologies: network protocols
• Connect medium and low-power IoT devices over a network. Operates over
the internet.
• Several ways to connect IoT devices.

• Point-to-point: two nodes are connected directly, forming a close network.

Data on this network doesn’t travel on the public internet, making this
connection very secure.
IoT communication technologies: network protocols
• Star network: All nodes are connected to a gateway, which gathers
and transmits data for further processing and storage.
• consume less energy as devices are allowed to rest in between transmissions.
• gateway presents a single point of failure. If it’s disconnected, the entire
system goes down.
• Mesh topology: more reliable, as other nodes can also receive data
from their neighbors and pass it further to the gateway.
• all nodes can access the gateway directly.
• cover larger distances than star networks and heal itself, as it automatically
recalculates data transmission routes in case of a node failure.
Serial Communication Protocols
• Embedded systems often require microcontrollers, sensors, and
peripheral devices to communicate efficiently.
• The three most commonly used serial communication protocols —
SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit), and
UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) — each have
their strengths and weaknesses.
• Choosing the right protocol depends on factors like speed, complexity,
power consumption, and the number of devices involved.
 SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface)
• SPI is a high-speed, full-duplex, synchronous serial communication protocol
that operates using four primary lines:
• First 3 pins share same line from controller but SS pin controls which slave
device is active
• MOSI (Master Out Slave In): Data sent from the master to the slave.
• MISO (Master In Slave Out): Data sent from the slave to the master.
• SCK (Serial Clock): Clock signal generated by the master to synchronize
data transmission.
• SS/CS (Slave Select/Chip Select):
Used to select the slave device that will communicate
with the master.
Key Characteristics of SPI:
• Full-duplex communication: Data transmission occurs in both directions
simultaneously.
• Fast data rates: SPI supports speeds up to 60 Mbps, making it suitable for
high-speed applications.
• Multiple slaves supported: Each slave requires a dedicated CS line, which
can lead to increased wiring complexity.
• No addressing mechanism: Unlike I2C, SPI does not use an address system;
instead, the master selects a slave via the CS pin.
• Simple implementation: The absence of start/stop conditions and
acknowledgments makes SPI straightforward but less robust against errors.
 I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit)
• I2C is a multi-master, multi-slave, synchronous serial communication
protocol that uses only two wires:
• SCL (Serial Clock Line): Carries the clock signal, generated by the
master.
• SDA (Serial Data Line): Carries the data between master and slave
devices.
• It is a bidirectional two-wire serial bus that uses serial clock (SCL) and
serial data (SDA) wires to send and manage data bit by bit between
devices connected to the bus.
Key Characteristics of I2C:
• Half-duplex communication: Data is transmitted in only one direction
at a time.
• Supports multiple devices: Uses unique 7-bit or 10-bit addresses to
communicate with multiple devices over the same two wires.
• Clock stretching: Slaves can hold the clock line low to delay
communication, allowing them time to process data.
• Error detection: Uses ACK/NACK (Acknowledge/Not Acknowledge)
bits to confirm data reception.
• Flexible speeds: Standard (100 kbps), Fast (400 kbps), and High-speed
(3.4 Mbps) modes allow trade-offs between speed and reliability.
I2C Operations

• The master controls the exchange of data between the devices. A master device will
signal to a slave in order to send data or request a response. To accomplish this, all slave
devices must have a unique address that is included in the I2C message.
• When sending data over the bus, each I2C message includes an address frame of the
slave device and one or more data frames containing the data being transmitted. The
message also includes start and stop conditions, read/write bits from either the master
or slave, and ACK/NACK bits sent from the receiver for error checking.
• I2C is considered to be synchronous, meaning it operates using a serial clock. The clock is
driven by the master device which allows the output of bits to be synchronized to the
sampling of bits by the clock signal shared between the master and the slave.
• The standard data transfer rate of the I2C protocol is 100 kbps, although data speeds of
up to 5 Mbps are possible with I2C devices configured in "fast mode" or "ultra-fast
mode".
UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and
Transmitter)
UART frame format
• UDR (UART Data Register)
• Write bytes to transmit
• Read received bytes
• USR (UART Status Register)
• Rx/Tx complete signal bits
• Framing error, overflow signal bits
• UCR (UART Control Register)
• Interrupt enable bits
• Rx/Tx enable bits
• Data format control bits
• UBRR (UART Baud Rate Register)
• Baud rate generator division ratio
Data bits
CAN Protocol
Designed to allow microcontroller’s and devices communicate with each other without a host
computer.
Used in automotive applications to ensure a reliable data exchange between components.(Engines and
sensors)
CAN Protocol(Controller Area Network)
• Key benefit of CAN- robustness allowing for fault tolerance operation
in harsh environments.
• Messages on the CAN bus can be priortised- Critical info gets through
even n/w is busy.
• Synchronize actions b/w devices-makes ideal for complex systems.
• The Physical layer of CAN-consists of transceivers that convert digital
signals into differential signals.
• CAN manages to communicate vast amounts of info. Using just one or
two wires.
• Not just reduce clutter, game changer interms of efficiency and
reliability in automotive comm.
• CAN revolutionizes how vehicles operate and communicate internally.
 LIN Bus Protocol (Local interconnect Network)
• Consists of a Lin master and a Lin slave.
• Data is exchanged and encapsulated in data frames
with a fixed structure.
• These data frames always contain a brake field that
indicates a new incoming frame, a sync field that
allows the slave to synchronize on the Master Clock.
• The message ID field from which the slave knows how
to interpret the forthcoming data.
• Data field containing the communicated data bytes, a
check sum ensuring correct reception of the data
frame.
• Two types of message can be distinguished, transmit
frames which contain data sent from the master to
the slave and response frames which contain data
sent from the slave to the master in both cases the
header part containing break sync and message ID is
generated by the master.
• The data part including the check sum can be
generated by either master or slave depending on
whether it's a transmit or a receiving frame.
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity)
• Known as IEEE802.11 standard. Technology that connects us to the internet without the need for
physical wires.
• Uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed internet and network connections.
• Router acts as a bridge between your local network (like the devices in your home) and the
broader internet.
• The router is connected to a modem, which provides access to the internet via your internet
service provider (ISP). Once the router receives data from the internet, it converts this data into
radio signals. These signals are then broadcast wirelessly, which can be received by any WiFi-
enabled device within range.
• Designed for use in limited geographical area.(Homes, Office,campus)
• Challenge-Mediate access to a shared communication medium, in this case-signals propagating
through space/air which leads to security concern.
• Features-power management and security features.
• Uses 5GHz radio band, has 23 overlapping channels. 2.4 GHz with 3 non-overlapping channels.
• Access method is CSMA/CA.
Data Transfer Process
• When you, for example, watch a video on your smartphone via WiFi,
here’s what happens:
• Your smartphone sends a request for the video to your WiFi router.
• The router forwards this request to the internet through the modem.
• The video data from the internet is sent back to the router.
• The router then converts this data into radio waves and transmits
them wirelessly.
• Your smartphone’s WiFi adapter receives these radio waves and
converts them back into digital data, allowing you to watch the video.
Bluetooth and BLE
• BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, is a light-weight subset of classic Bluetooth.
• BLE -wireless communication designed for short-range communication. -
situations battery life is preferred over high data transfer speeds.
• Works- BLE data transfer is one-way communication. Let’s take an example of BLE
beacons trying to communicate with a smartphone in close proximity — a Bluetooth
Low Energy beacon broadcasts packets of data at regular intervals of time. These
data packets are detected by app/pre-installed services on smartphones nearby. This
BLE communication triggers actions such as, pushing a message or promoting an
app.
• BLE devices all operate on 40 channels spread in the 2.4GHz range. Three of these
channels are dedicated to advertisement, the rest are for data exchange. Depending
on the transmission power/reception sensitivity, the usable range will vary between
30 meters and 100 meters.
To save energy and provide higher data transfer speed, the entire BLE framework
consists of 40 frequency channels, separated by 2MHz. 3 of these channels are the
primary advertisement channels while the remaining 37 channels are secondary
channels, also known as data channels. The Bluetooth communication starts with the
3 primary advertisement channel and then offloads to the secondary channels.
Zigbee
• Designed for low power and low data rate applications, and developed under
IEEE820.15.4 standard.
• Smart home protocol-Used for establishing a smart home, for devices from
different manufacturers to communicate with each other to enable automation.
• Ex. The coffee maker can be linked to the alarm system so that the coffee is ready
for you when you wake up.
• For short-range communication for streaming audio, we opt for Bluetooth. For
streaming videos and larger files, we use Wi-Fi. But, we need a network using
which we can connect a large number of battery-powered devices. We can't go
for Wi-Fi because of its high energy requirements, and we can't
choose Bluetooth even though it consumes less power, as only a small
number of devices can be connected using Bluetooth.
• We need a network that can connect many battery-powered devices, and the
main aspect here is low energy/ power consumption. This is the whole purpose
of developing Zigbee Technology. Zigbee revolves around control and sensor
networks. Hence, it is one of the most common standards and applications for
the Internet of Things (IoT).
Ethernet
Ethernet
• Invisible backbone of our connected world, silently orchestrating the flow of
information between devices, from smartphones to servers.
• Comm. Standard developed in 1980s, to network computers and other devices in
local environment.
• Ethernet is a wired communication technology used in Local Area Networks.
It defines how devices form frames, share the medium, detect collisions, and
ensure reliable delivery of data.”
• Data in Ethernet is sent as frames. (A frame is like a courier package.)
It contains:
• Destination MAC address – who should receive it
• Source MAC address – who sent it
• Payload – actual data
• CRC/FCS – error checking code
• MAC Address: The Identity
• “Every Ethernet device has a unique MAC address, similar to a permanent roll
number.
Routers, PCs, switches—each one has a globally unique 48-bit MAC address.
• Ethernet uses this address to know who is sending and who should receive the
frame.”
• Ethernet Media Access: CSMA/CD
• “Now let’s talk about how devices share the cable.
Ethernet originally used CSMA/CD — Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision
Detection.
• Modern Ethernet Uses Switches (No Collisions)
• “In modern networks, we no longer have collision problems because we use
Ethernet switches.
• Switches create full-duplex links where:
• Each device gets a dedicated path
• Sending and receiving happen at the same time
• No collisions occur
• CSMA/CD is no longer needed
• How a Switch Sends a Frame
• “When a frame enters a switch:
• The switch reads the source MAC address and learns which port that device is
connected to.
• It checks the destination MAC address.
• It forwards the frame only to the correct port.
• This is called switching or intelligent frame forwarding
• Ethernet Speed Evolution
• “Ethernet began with 10 Mbps, then moved to:
• Fast Ethernet → 100 Mbps
• Gigabit Ethernet → 1 Gbps
• 10G/40G/100G Ethernet
• Now even 400G Ethernet is common in data centers
NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things or
Narrowband Internet of Things)
• Communications standard designed for low-power devices with little
data.
• Benefits: wider coverage, lower power consumption, longer battery
life, and faster network updates.
• How does NB-IoT work?
• NB-IoT uses a narrowband frequency of 200 kHz to transmit data over
long distances. It uses two modulation technologies, OFDM
(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) for downlink and SC-
FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) for uplink.
This makes it an ideal choice for IoT devices that require low data
rates, long battery life, and extended coverage.
The Architecture of NB-IoT NB-IoT terminal- serves as the gateway
for IoT devices to connect to the NB-IoT
network.
NB-IoT base station-deployed by telecom
operators.
NB-IoT core network-connects the NB-
IoT base station to the NB-IoT cloud,
enabling data transmission and
processing.
NB-IoT cloud platform-responsible for
processing various services and
forwarding the results to the vertical
business center.

Vertical industry centre-obtains NB-IoT

service data and takes control of the NB-
IoT terminal, providing a centralized
location for managing the devices and
their data.
 LoRaWAN (Long Range WAN)
• Low power device that uses radio waves to communicate over large area.
• Connects devices to Internet and controls how they communicate with each other.
• LoRaWAN gateway simply acts like a bridge for messages sent between devices and
network’s server.
• These messages are sent using radio waves
and picked up by any Gateway nearby.
A gateway then sends these messages to the
Network server using a connection through
internet.
Cool thing- a device can be picked up by multiple
Gateways in the same area, helps in making sure
the message gets through.
This setup reduces errors in sending messages.
Save energy for devices on the move.
Ability to track the location of the devices with low cost.
How does LoRaWAN works?
• An end node broadcast its data to every gateway in its vicinity.
• The gateways forward this packet to the network server.
• The network server collects the messages from all gateways and filters out
the duplicate data and determines the gateway that has the best reception.
• The network server forwards the packet to the correct application server
where the end user can process the sensor data. Optionally the application
server can send a response back to the end node.
• When a response is send, the network server receives the response and
determines which gateway to use to broadcast the response back to the
end node.
• The LoRaWAN protocol does not support direct communication between
end nodes.
LTE (Long Term Evolution)
• Why LTE Networks Matter for IoT
• LTE networks are used heavily by Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to
connect machinery and equipment and enable them to send and
receive data. While the IoT existed before the introduction of LTE-
level connectivity, the higher speed and throughput of LTE made it
possible for IoT systems to control larger and more complex systems
with greater precision.
LTE
• What Is LTE?
• Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is defined as a wireless broadband standard for mobile communication and data
transfers, built on GSM, UMTS, and other existing mobile technologies and improving upon them in terms
of bandwidth capacity and transfer speeds.
• Working: LTE works by transmitting large IP-based data packets through a fully all-IP core network designed
for high-speed and low-latency communication. It enhances earlier 2G/3G systems by using a simplified
architecture, a new radio interface, and advanced techniques like OFDMA (downlink) and SC-FDMA (uplink)
for efficient and fast data transmission.
• LTE employs MIMO antennas to increase capacity and reliability and uses resource blocks and transport
blocks to allocate radio resources per user every millisecond. The protocol layers run on TCP/IP, enabling
simultaneous voice, data, video, and messaging services.
• For voice, LTE uses VoLTE, where the evolved packet core (EPC) works with the IMS system to transmit voice
as IP packets. If VoLTE is unavailable, LTE supports circuit-switched fallback (CSFB) to 2G/3G for voice calls.
• LTE supports both FDD and TDD duplex modes, ensuring backward compatibility with earlier technologies.
Overall, LTE improves throughput, spectral efficiency, and reduces latency through its advanced modulation,
multiple access schemes, and optimized radio resource scheduling.
SDI, and HDMI
• SDI (Serial Digital Interface) is a professional digital video transmission
standard used in broadcast and studio environments. It carries
uncompressed, high-quality digital video, along with embedded audio and
metadata, through a coaxial cable using BNC connectors.
• SDI is widely used for cameras, video switchers, monitors, and broadcast
equipment because it provides long-distance, reliable, low-latency video
transmission.
• HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which is used in connections
to game consoles, home theater systems, and consumer-grade cameras.
HDMI transmits not just high-definition video but also audio, and it
supports 4K and 8K resolutions all through a single connection. However, it
lacks any of the characteristics of SDI. It only transmits up to 15 meters.
SDI vs HDMI
Feature SDI HDMI

Use case Professional broadcast Consumer electronics

Cable Coaxial (BNC) HDMI cable

Max distance 100–300 m 10–15 m

Robustness Very high Moderate

Cost High Low

Typical devices Cameras, switchers, monitors TVs, laptops, consoles

Hot-plugging Safe and stable Sometimes glitchy

Video compression Uncompressed Supports compressed formats

Different IoT Protocols
• LoRa is a energy efficient way to connect the sensors every where, to
generate insight and understanding we need to make better choices.
• Every solution starts with sensor sending data 9880075359
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