Top 10 IoT Communication Protocols To Know About

IoT Information Communication Technology (ICT) is a breakthrough in information transmission from person to person, person to a thing, and thing to thing. Smart devices are now able to connect, move, and make decisions on behalf of individuals, this technology is also termed "connectivity for anything". 

 

The Internet of Things ecosystem is made up of numerous smart devices that can communicate with one another at any time and from any location. However, limitations such as storage volume, radio range, and power are impeding IoT growth and necessitate the use of a communication protocol to manage these limitations.

 

The volume and reach of connected things are rapidly expanding, with the number of IoT connections surpassing non-IoT online connections for the first time in 2020.

 

According to market research firm IoT Analytics, there will be 11.7 billion IoT connections in 2020, compared to 10 billion non-IoT connections (such as smartphones and computers). According to the researchers, the number of IoT connections will reach 30.9 billion by 2025.

 

What are IoT Communication Protocols?

 

IoT communication protocols, also known as IoT protocols, are collections of wireless networks and rules that link IoT devices. IoT protocols enable IoT devices to communicate with one another. The benefit and value of IoT come from enabling the components to communicate; this ability to communicate is what moves data from endpoint devices to central servers via the IoT pipeline.
 

This communication takes place through IoT protocols, which ensure that data sent from endpoint devices, such as sensors, is received and understood by the subsequent steps in the connected environment, whether that data is sent to another endpoint device, a gateway, or an application.

 

IoT protocols are essential components of the IoT technology stack. Hardware would be useless without IoT protocols and standards. This is because IoT protocols enable communication—that is, the exchange of data or the sending of commands—among all of those various devices. End users can extract useful information as well as interact with and control devices using the transferred data and commands.

 

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the most important IoT protocols and standards that your company might employ in 2022.

 

The Internet of Things is a confluence of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, and automation that enables connected industrial manufacturing plants, intelligent retail, next-generation healthcare, smart homes and cities, and wearable devices. With data-driven insights, improved operational processes, new lines of business, and more efficient material use, IoT technologies enable you to transform your business.

 

IoT technology continues to evolve, with countless service providers, platforms, and millions of new devices being introduced each year, leaving developers with numerous decisions to make before entering the IoT ecosystem

 

Also Read | How is IoT Useful For Customer Experience?

 

Importance of IoT Protocols

 

While this summary may appear to be information overload, protocols are critical in IoT implementations.

 

"You want to make sure that whatever language your computers are speaking is truly intended for your use case," Dan explained. "There are numerous methods for establishing communication between two machines, and choosing the right one will provide benefits such as a low data rate."

 

To put it simply, different protocols deliver data in vastly different ways. For example, video call protocols may always deliver data in a specific order—something that other protocols may not be able to guarantee—but they may not be able to ensure that low data is passed between devices. Another important factor to consider is IoT security, as standardized IoT protocols can prevent further fragmentation and reduce the risk of security threats.

 

"Security requires some information exchange to establish a secure tunnel, and doing so over certain protocols can be very data-intensive," Dan explained. "Using Particle's IoT-based protocols minimizes this intensity."

 

 

Many businesses today do not optimize the layers of the protocol stack, which is not a direct driver of business value. As a result, Particle's off-the-shelf solution is an excellent choice for the majority of use cases.

 

The beauty of our approach is that you don't have to worry about selecting a protocol because Particle's expert team will provide you with the stack and reference system. With this aspect handled, you'll have more time to concentrate on the two end layers of the stack: what's happening at the edge and what's happening in the cloud.

 

Protocols provide a common language for network entities such as servers, gateways, routers, applications, and connected devices to communicate with one another. A protocol is a set of rules that must be followed by both network entities for them to communicate. It determines how they interact, what values and attributes can be transmitted, how they are received and processed, what security methods will be used, and other factors.

 

The protocols you choose in the Internet of Things (IoT) determine the complexity of your application and help you prioritize the qualities that impact service and performance, such as speed, clarity, power savings, or security.

 

Also Read | How does IoT help in Environmental Sustainability?

 

Top IOT Communication Protocols

 

The internet of things' primary goal is to enable communication between various objects that are not traditional computers. The Internet of Things enables these objects to send and receive data over a network. Various protocols in IOT have been established to provide this communication. The most popular communication protocols provided by IOT are detailed below:

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Top IOT Communication Protocols

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1. Bluetooth:

 

Standard communication protocols aid in realizing the internet of things' full potential. Bluetooth connectivity is found in more than one-third of IoT devices. Bluetooth is a type of wireless technology that is used for device communication and the creation of personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth5 is the most recent version, with features such as high range, speed, and data broadcasting. Bluetooth connects devices over shorter distances and alters device interaction. It includes some useful features that support IoT devices. Bluetooth low energy (BLE) devices require less power and are ideal for IoT projects.

 

2. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity):

 

WiFi is a wireless local area network; there is no wired connection. Wi-Fi Alliance has proposed it. WiFi connects devices within a range of 60 to 100 feet to the Internet. It sends and receives data using high-frequency radio signals. It adheres to the IEEE 802.11 standard. Its data rate ranges between 2Mbps and 1.73Gbps. In IoT systems, we can configure PAN (Personal Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or WAN (Wide Area Network). We can expand the network area by using routing.

 

3. Bluetooth Low Energy: 

 

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a low-power Bluetooth. It is intended to help with the internet of things. BLE is more energy efficient and provides better connectivity than other types of technology such as Zigbee or LoRa. BLU meets the requirement for data transfers because it is the only function performed by IoT sensors. Smartwatches, medical devices, fitness trackers, beacons, and home automation devices all use BLE. BLE uses less power and has a smaller bandwidth.

 

4. Z-Wave:

 

Z-wave is a wireless messaging protocol used to connect various IoT devices. It is particularly useful in home automation to connect appliances in smart homes. Z-wave provides a two-way communication mode that is enabled by mesh networking and message receipt acknowledgment. Z-wave is a low-cost technology that eliminates Wifi and Bluetooth issues. The Z-wave network includes the internet of things devices and controls known as the primary hub. When z-hub receives a message from a smartphone or tablet, it forwards it to the appropriate smart home appliance.

 

5. Cellular: 

 

Connects devices to anything and everything without the use of smartphones or gateways. This means that it connects devices to the base station without the use of any intermediaries. Even in remote areas, these connections are always present. Cellular IoT enables the creation of less power-consuming devices that connect to the internet, which was previously impossible. Small data packets can be easily transmitted over a cellular network. 5G is the most recent cellular technology that is rapidly taking over IoT devices.

 

6. RFID:

 

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology transfers data between a reader and a movable item to identify and track it. It does not necessitate physical contact between the reader and the tagged item. RFID tags, RFID readers, and RFID antennas are the most important components of RFID technology. Tags are mostly used and operate on a frequency band of 13.56.

 

7. Ethernet:

 

Ethernet is a communication protocol that was created in the early 1980s to connect local devices and computers. A local area network is the name given to the local environment (LAN). A LAN provides a common environment for devices to receive and share information. Ethernet, on the other hand, provides a wired mode of communication. Because it does not support wireless communication, the set is somewhat pricey and is not an ideal choice for IoT communication.

 

8. LoRaWAN:

 

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a protocol for wide area networks. It is a low-power consumption protocol designed to improve the security and mobility of wide-area network (WAN) applications. It supports a large network of millions of low-power devices deployed on public networks. It is used in conjunction with bidirectional communication with a range of more than 15 kilometers.

 

9. NFC:

 

NFC is an abbreviation for near-field communication. It is a wireless communication technology used for short-distance communication. However, the NFC-enabled devices must be close to each other to communicate via radio waves. One device should be active, such as a smartphone or tablet, while the other can be passive, such as an NFC tag. Active devices necessitate an external power supply, whereas passive devices do not.

 

10. Thread:

 

Thread is a new Internet of Things protocol based on Zigbee that provides radio-based internet access to low-powered devices in a relatively small area. Thread is very similar to Zigbee or Wi-Fi, but it is much more power efficient. A Thread network is also self-healing, which means that certain network devices can act as routers to replace a broken or failing router.

 

Thread can connect up to 250 devices, with up to 32 of those devices acting as network routers. Thread is frequently used to run the newly developed Matter protocol, which operates at the application level to support interoperability (compatibility) between different IoT devices and protocols.

 

Conclusion

 

So we learned about IoT technology today: Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRaWAN, and Bluetooth. Furthermore, we discuss IoT communication protocols such as WiFi, NFC, and Cellular. In the upcoming tutorials, we will learn more about IOT in depth. So, stay tuned to find out what else you can do with this technology.