Making Sense of IoT Standards. White Paper

Transcription

1 Making Sense of IoT Standards White Paper Published March 2015

2 Copyright Redbend. All Rights Reserved. This Software is the property of Red Bend Ltd. and contains trade secrets, know-how, confidential information and other intellectual property of Red Bend Ltd. Red Bend, Redbend, and other Redbend names, as well as the Redbend Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Bend Ltd. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Products contain components owned by third parties. Copyright notices and terms under which such components are licensed can be found at the following URL, and are hereby incorporated by reference: www2.redbend.com/legal_notices.pdf Patents: www2.redbend.com/patents.pdf 2015 Redbend [2 of 11]

3 Welcome to the Internet of Things IoT (the Internet of Things, also at times referred to as the Internet of Everything, Cloud of Things and Industrial Internet) is essentially the interconnection of embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure. IoT is anticipated to cover a broad range of protocols and domains, and enable things devices, systems and services ranging from general purpose sensors, through heart monitors and thermostats, all the way to automobiles and electrical home appliances to support enhanced connected functionality that exceeds simple machine-to-machine connectivity (or M2M). Machine-to-machine communication represents the physical connectivity between remotely controlled machines. IoT, on the other hand, can be regarded as the life- and business-changing applications supporting both automated functions and functionality requiring user intervention that will be developed on the basis of this connectivity. IoT involves a multitude of vertical markets, including utilities, home automation, agriculture and healthcare. It is ultimately expected to usher in a truly new world of wide-ranging automation, and of powerful and innovative connected applications that dramatically enhance quality of life. Challenges and the Need for Standardization For the IoT revolution to become reality and fully deliver on its promise, numerous hurdles need first be overcome. First and foremost, there s connectivity. Given the sheer number of devices expected to be interconnected, wiring them up is impractical, and IoT devices will have to communicate wirelessly. Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, cellular 3G and 4G, power-line and DECT are but a few of many contenders. Which will it be? Connectivity concerns don't end there. As complex as connecting IoT devices to switches and routers (not to mention to each other) may be, these devices will also be required to communicate beyond local networking peripherals, with cloud service infrastructure, to fully reap the fruits of IoT. On-device resources pose yet another potential difficulty. Cost restrictions are always an issue, leading to compromises in RAM, processing power and more, and resulting in a range of limitations that challenge IoT implementation. Existing mobile stacks and standards won't always be easy to migrate due to excessive footprint. Power consumption, RAM and flash ROM footprint, bandwidth usage all are key considerations. A device management session consuming 50 kilobytes may have become insignificant in today's world of broadband-enabled smartphones, for instance, though could be a deal breaker in the world of IoT, where data plans and monthly subscriptions are likely to be limited to keep costs down. An additional key challenge lies in the budding IoT market s distinct fragmentation, highly distributed value chain and lack of a clear leader. Anyone can compete, even small companies are theoretically capable of producing connected IoT devices. And, as long as the stakes are high enough, large corporations, too, will want their hands in the pie. Privacy and security concerns, user experience considerations (on IoT devices featuring displays, for example) and software update requirements only add to the great many technical and commercial hurdles 2015 Redbend [3 of 11]

4 that need to be overcome. Given that there is no consensus on which of these are to be covered by standards and which should be left to vendor-specific implementation, it soon becomes apparent that standardization is a must for the full vision of IoT to become reality. Standardization singled out as a key driver in UBS s report Who Are the Enablers of The Internet of Things?, which claims that adherence to a single standard will be key in enabling the success of the Internet of Things on a global basis and makes note of the need for standardization between units, especially in the home as a prerequisite for the broad adoption of smart devices. There are in fact plenty of alliances already underway with the intention of establishing standards conductive to the implementation of IoT. This document is intended to bring order to the chaos and provide details on these initiatives, while shedding light on differences, similarities and potential compatibilities. IoT Standards This document explores currently existing device management standards, inter-device and proximity application frameworks, and physical short-range network connectivity standards that are expected to play a role in the realization of IoT. Remote Device Management Protocol Standards OMA DM 1.x The Open Mobile Alliance s DM (Device Management) standards OMA DM and OMA DM 1.3 are both broadly deployed in the mobile market, with (the mature) version of the standard largely utilized in smartphones and tablets Redbend [4 of 11]

5 According to an OMA press release featuring data from Redbend, OMA DM 1.x-compliant clients were deployed on 1.4 billion devices in 2012, the large majority of which were smartphones (though DM clients are also deployed on feature-phones, routers, modems and other resource-constrained devices). Today, pretty much all U.S., Japanese and Korean Tier-1 operators own a DM server, which they use to manage the smartphones on their networks. There are a number of challenges in leveraging the OMA DM 1.x protocol for IoT. First, OMA DM 1.x may be too heavy for some IoT applications, with the DM client typically bearing a minimum footprint of 300 kilobytes a likely showstopper for low-end IoT devices. Then there are scalability limitations imposed by the somewhat chatty OMA DM protocol, what with numerous XML payloads having to be transferred between DM server and DM clients to establish device management sessions and perform management operations. Having said that, for limited scenarios, OMA DM 1.x could be relevant in more capable IoT devices, such as those featuring smart card architecture. OMA DM 2.0 OMA s DM 2.0 standard is effectively a complete rewrite of the OMA DM transport protocol. It maintains backward compatibility with existing DM Enabler standards, such as FUMO, SCOMO and LAWMO (though not with actual implementations). The intention behind OMA DM 2.0 is to reduce the complexity of the OMA DM 1.x protocol and lower its resource consumption profile by delegating security and authentication to an underlying HTTP(S) transport layer. Anticipated benefits include an easier-toimplement DM client that can greatly reduce the traffic generated between DM server and client. OMA does not explicitly claim support for the IoT market with OMA DM 2.0, though the standard does seem suitable for IoT applications in practice, specifically in devices equipped with an HTTP stack, where integration can be expected to be fairly simple. OMA Lightweight M2M Lightweight M2M (or LWM2M for short) shares no commonalities with OMA DM 1.x or 2.0, and is the outcome of the Open Mobile Alliance s efforts to develop a standard specifically for IoT-compliant M2M communication. The LWM2M enabler defines an application layer client/server communication protocol. The LWM2M server is typically located in a private or public data center, and can be hosted by an M2M service provider, network service provider or application service provider. The LWM2M client resides ondevice and is typically integrated as a software library or a built-in module or device function. Four logical interfaces are defined between server and client, namely bootstrap, device discovery and registration, device management and service enablement, and information reporting. The main difference compared with OMA DM 2.0 is in the binding to the underlying stack. While OMA DM 2.0 relies on HTTP(S), OMA Lightweight M2M binds to RESTful CoAP, with either an SMS or DTLS+UDP transport underneath. ARM has demonstrated client implementations to take up a 10 Kilobyte binary footprint, and open source implementations indicate ease of integration Redbend [5 of 11]

6 This standard s reliance on UDP may prove to be a limitation, with roughly 15 percent of current firewall configurations alleged to block UDP traffic, and the prevalence of CoAP support in IoT devices has yet to be determined. MQTT MQTT is an M2M/IoT connectivity protocol was originally developed by IBM as an extremely lightweight publish/subscribe messaging transport. It is currently undergoing standardization in a technical committee of OASIS, a non-profit consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of open standards for the global information society. Utilizing TCP/IP as transport, MQTT is useful for connections with remote locations where small code footprint is required and network bandwidth is at a premium. The protocol is perhaps best known for powering Facebook s mobile messaging application, and has been used in sensors communicating with brokers via satellite links, over occasional dial-up connections with healthcare providers and in a range of home automation and small device scenarios. MQTT is ideal for mobile applications due to its small size, low power usage, optimized data packet transmission and efficient information distribution. As MQTT does not define a data model, it requires device vendors to define data models on their own, and is therefore to be regarded semi-proprietary. Inter-device and Proximity Application Frameworks AllJoyn AllJoyn is an open source application development framework developed by Qualcomm, to make it easier for products to connect in a standards-based way. AllJoyn supporters include countless industry heavyweights, including LG, Panasonic, Sharp, Bosch, Cisco, Microsoft, HTC, D-Link and Redbend, to name a few. Coded in C++ at its core, the AllJoyn framework allows for proximity peer-to-peer connectivity over various transports, and provides multiple language bindings and complete implementations across a range of operating systems and chipsets. The framework represents an object-oriented approach making peer-topeer communication easy, while avoiding the need to individually handle lower-level network protocols and hardware. Qualcomm ultimately gave up ownership of AllJoyn to the AllSeen Alliance, the creation of which it spearheaded at the end of OIC (Open Interconnect Consortium) OIC is the name of a standards body as well as an open source standard for wirelessly connecting devices to one another, as well as to the Internet. The OIC standards body (see more on the group in the IoT Industry 2015 Redbend [6 of 11]

7 Alliances section) estimates products based on OIC will hit the market as early as 2015 however, there is no established OIC protocol yet. Physical Short-range Network Connectivity Standards This section reviews a number of low power, low bandwidth IoT-centric protocol stacks used in LANs (Local Area Networks), PANs (Personal Area Networks) and HANs (Home Area Networks), as opposed to cellular and wireline Internet WANs (Wide Area Networks). ZigBee Conceived in 1998 and standardized in 2003, ZigBee (named after the waggle dance of honey bees following their return to the beehive) is a specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used to create personal area networks with small, low power digital radios. ZigBee is based on an IEEE standard and utilizes the 2.4 GHz radio frequency. Though its low power consumption limits transmission distances (10 to 100 meter ranges with line of sight, depending on power output and environmental conditions), devices incorporating ZigBee can transmit over long distances by repeatedly transporting data through a mesh network of intermediate devices. ZigBee is typically used in low data rate applications that require long battery life and secure networking (ZigBee networks are secured by 128-bit symmetric encryption keys) and has a defined rate of 250 Kbps, which is best suited for intermittent data transmissions from sensors and other input devices. ZigBee applications include wireless light switches, electrical meters, traffic management systems and other consumer and industrial gear requiring short range, low-rate wireless data transfer. The technology defined by the ZigBee specification is intended to be simpler and less expensive to implement than other WPANs (Wireless Personal Area Networks, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). Given that it utilizes the same spectrum and can use the same chips, ZigBee may at some stage potentially be upgradeable to the Thread protocol discussed later in this document. Z-Wave Z-Wave is a wireless communications protocol designed for home automation, specifically for remote control applications in residential and light commercial environments. The technology employs a low-power RF radio embedded in electronic devices and systems, such as lighting, access controls, entertainment systems and household appliances. The Z-Wave wireless protocol is optimized for reliable, low-latency communication of small data packets, with data rates of up to 100 Kbps, unlike Wi-Fi and other IEEE based wireless LAN standards designed primarily for high bandwidth. It operates in the sub-gigahertz frequency range, at around 900 MHz. This band competes with some cordless telephones and other consumer electronics devices, and avoids interference with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other systems that operate in the crowded 2.4 GHz band Redbend [7 of 11]

8 Z-Wave is designed to be easily embedded in consumer electronics, including battery operated devices such as remote controls, smoke alarms and security sensors. Bluetooth Low Energy (4.0) Bluetooth low energy, sometimes referred to as Bluetooth LE and marketed as Bluetooth Smart, is a WPAN technology designed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group for innovative healthcare, fitness, security and home entertainment applications. In contrast to classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE is intended to enable considerably reduced power consumption and lower cost, while maintaining similar communication range. The technology is natively supported on most popular mobile operating systems, including ios, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, as well as on desktop OSs Windows 8, OS X and Linux, with the Bluetooth SIG predicting more than 90 percent of Bluetooth-enabled smartphones to support Bluetooth LE by While it utilizes the same 2.4 GHz radio frequencies, Bluetooth LE is not backward compatible with classic Bluetooth protocols. The Bluetooth 4.0 specification permits devices to implement either or both of the low energy and classic systems. Thread Thread is a new wireless IP protocol introduced by Google-owned Nest, Samsung, ARM and others to help connect a range of smart devices. Thread is aimed at overcoming the architecture, performance and power consumption limitations of current technologies enabling smart home devices to communicate, such as Wi- Fi and Bluetooth, which is particularly singled out for not supporting IPv6 communications. As opposed to current hub and spoke models, which have multiple devices relying on a single central device for communication, Thread is designed to realize a "mesh" network that does not depend on a single router, and its power consumption is allegedly low enough to allow devices to last many years using even a single AA battery. The group behind the protocol claims that as many as 250 devices can be connected together in a single Thread network. Products using other based protocols, such as ZigBee and MiWi may potentially be capable of supporting Thread via simple software updates. The biggest challenge to Thread is that technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both universally commonplace and deeply entrenched. Most laptops, phones, tablets and connected peripherals already support one or both, and those standards may eventually also evolve to do most of what Thread offers, even before Thread itself can gain a foothold in the majority of homes. Competition from other warring protocols and emerging IoT standards may similarly impact potential adoption. The backing of big names Google, Samsung and ARM will definitely help, but as history has repeatedly shown, a big name isn't always enough to successfully establish a new industry-wide standard. IoT Industry Alliances With IoT expected to eventually impact some tens of billions of automobiles, appliances, machines and devices around the globe, the stakes are high. The heavyweights have taken notice and have already started 2015 Redbend [8 of 11]

9 teaming up to address standardization challenges whether in competition or collaboration remains to be seen. In this section, we list alliances that have begun to take shape. AllSeen Alliance The Linux Foundation, for example, announced in December of 2013 the formation of the AllSeen Alliance, a consortium dedicated to building and maintaining an open-source framework that allows devices of any shape and size to seamlessly communicate. The initiative, which involves such diverse participants as Cisco, Sears and Wilocity, was headlined by Qualcomm, LG, Panasonic, Haier, Silicon Image and TP-LINK, with the star member being Qualcomm. The AllSeen Alliance is largely based on Qualcomm s AllJoyn technology, which is capable of automatically discovering devices and negotiating connections with whichever network protocols happen to be available. Qualcomm gave up ownership of this technology in contribution to the new alliance, which now also offers support for non-qualcomm chips, and has grown to surpass 120 supporters. Industrial Internet Consortium Earlier this year, another prominent collection of industry juggernauts AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel announced the formation of the IIC (Industrial Internet Consortium), a non-profit open membership group focused on breaking down technology silo barriers and enabling interoperability across numerous industries. The group s objective: to establish an ecosystem of companies, researchers and public agencies that will help drive adoption of Industrial Internet applications a crucial element for accelerating the Internet of Things. Open Interconnect Consortium In early July, 2014, Intel led yet another new initiative with a group of technology companies, and announced the formation of OIC (the Open Interconnect Consortium). Amtel, Broadcom, Dell, Samsung and Wind River are all on board, and the group aims to create an open source standard for wirelessly connecting devices to one another, as well as to the Internet. As in other open source initiatives, all member companies pledge to donate intellectual property for others to enhance and use. Imad N. Sousou, General Manager of Intel's open source technology center, expects OIC standard-based products to hit the market as early as Thread Group About a week after OIC was unveiled, a handful of companies including Google's Nest Labs and Samsung combined forces to create another new Internet of Things standards group. The non-profit, called Thread Group, launched with plans to focus on devices in the home, with founding members including ARM, Freescale, Big Ass Fans, Silicon Labs and Yale Security Redbend [9 of 11]

10 onem2m Work was initiated in ETSI as far back as 2010 on a comprehensive M2M architecture that embraced the notion of open interfaces right from the start. In 2012, efforts were transferred to onem2m, a partnership aiming to develop technical specifications for a common M2M service layer to be embedded in hardware and software, so as to broaden participation of companies outside Europe. One of the challenges of onem2m is that it comprises two main camps supporters of the ETSI M2M standard, and supporters of OMA Lightweight M2M, as the baseline for continued development and it s still too early to tell which will prevail. Should the organization be able to reach consensus, it will have fairly strong backing by most major IoT market players. The Redbend Perspective Redbend has a rich history of actively supporting standards organizations, and featuring support for industry-driven standards for which there is clear demand in its products and solutions. Redbend perceives the emerging IoT market to be of significant potential, and will continuously monitor relevant industry and technology trends, so as to support those standards that prevail and gain dominance. Given that its products and solutions are designed to be completely network-agnostic, compliance with a range of connectivity technologies and standards are not considered a challenge and Redbend is geared to seamlessly integrate them within upcoming offerings. Stance on OMA DM 1.x, 2.0 and Lightweight M2M Redbend has been a contributor to the Open Mobile Alliance since 2005, and has led the development of such standard elements as FUMO (the Firmware Update Management Object), SCOMO (the Software Component Management Object) and VirMO (the Virtualization Management Object). Redbend currently supports OMA DM and is the world s leading independent supplier of interoperable device management clients with implementations certified for all major mobile network operators. Redbend is closely monitoring OMA DM 2.0 and its market adoption potential. Redbend is planning to launch a device management client with integrated support for OMA Lightweight M2M to address operator and manufacturer demand for IoT market standards compliance. Redbend will also support LWM2M in its end-to-end Software Management Platform to serve IoT customers directly. AllJoyn Involvement Redbend is a community member of the AllSeen Alliance, which it joined to help resolve both current and future IoT fragmentation challenges, on the basis of its vast experience in mobile software management. Redbend sees great opportunity in the fact that, in addition to having to enable connectivity among the myriad IoT devices anticipated to be deployed practically everywhere, device manufacturers will be required to assure constant and frequent software updates an area in which the company offers unique value based on its market leading Smart Delta technology. It therefore regards the AllSeen Alliance as a powerful 2015 Redbend [10 of 11]

11 platform that can enable it to reach out to a great number of devices manufactures with its proven over-theair software update and management offerings. Redbend is set to contribute the software management interface (connecting update service and agents), a sample AllJoyn update agent (to run on an AllJoyn-enabled device, allowing it to receive and perform updates delivered by Redbend s update service) and a sample AllJoyn update service for Android Redbend [11 of 11]