Over-the-air software updates in the internet of things : an overview of key principles

Due to the fast pace at which IoT is evolving, there is an increasing need to support over-theair software updates for security updates, bug fixes, and software extensions. To this end, multiple over-the-air techniques have been proposed, each covering a specific aspect of the update process, such as (partial) code updates, data dissemination, and security. However, each technique introduces overhead, especially in terms of energy consumption, thereby impacting the operational lifetime of the battery constrained devices. Until now, a comprehensive overview describing the different update steps and quantifying the impact of each step is missing in the scientific literature, making it hard to assess the overall feasibility of an over-the-air update. To remedy this, our article analyzes which parts of an IoT operating system are most updated after device deployment, proposes a step-by-step approach to integrate software updates in IoT solutions, and quantifies the energy cost of each of the involved steps. The results show that besides the obvious dissemination cost, other phases such as security also introduce a significant overhead. For instance, a typical firmware update requires 135.026 mJ, of which the main portions are data dissemination (63.11 percent) and encryption (5.29 percent). However, when modular updates are used instead, the energy cost (e.g., for a MAC update) is reduced to 26.743 mJ (48.69 percent for data dissemination and 26.47 percent for encryption)

Validation formelle d'un mécanisme de synchronisation pour réseaux sans fil

International audienceLe développement des réseaux et notamment les réseaux de capteurs incite les industries à considérer pour leurs systèmes de communication des alternatives amenant une réduction des coûts et de la complexité tout en garantissant la fiabilité. Ce papier décrit la validation formelle par réseaux de Petri temporels et model checking d'un nouveau protocole de synchronisation avec qualité de service pour réseau maillé de capteurs sans fil utilisant le standard de communication IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee. L'utilisation des méthodes formelles dans le cadre des réseaux sans fil est assez récente et les résultats obtenus dans cet article prouvent que ces méthodes sont intéressantes dans ce contexte

The analysis of energy consumption in 6TiSCH network nodes working in sub-GHz band

The 6TiSCH communication stack enables IPv6 networking over the TSCH (Time Slotted Channel Hopping) mode of operation defined in IEEE 802.15.4. Lately, it becomes an attractive solution for Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), suitable for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. This article introduces a credible energy consumption model for the 6TiSCH network nodes, operating in the 863-870 MHz band. It presents the analysis leading to the construction of the model as well as detailed verification through experimental measurements which showed 98% accuracy in determining power consumption for two different network topologies. The article includes reliable battery lifetime predictions for transit and leaf nodes along with other parametric study results

Emerging Communications for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are deployed in a rapidly increasing number of arenas, with uses ranging from healthcare monitoring to industrial and environmental safety, as well as new ubiquitous computing devices that are becoming ever more pervasive in our interconnected society. This book presents a range of exciting developments in software communication technologies including some novel applications, such as in high altitude systems, ground heat exchangers and body sensor networks. Authors from leading institutions on four continents present their latest findings in the spirit of exchanging information and stimulating discussion in the WSN community worldwide

Wireless remote patient monitoring on general hospital wards.

A novel approach which has potential to improve quality of patient care on general hospital wards is proposed. Patient care is a labour-intensive task that requires high input of human resources. A Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) system is proposed which can go some way towards improving patient monitoring on general hospital wards. In this system vital signs are gathered from patients and sent to a control unit for centralized monitoring. The RPM system can complement the role of nurses in monitoring patients’ vital signs. They will be able to focus on holistic needs of patients thereby providing better personal care. Wireless network technologies, ZigBee and Wi-Fi, are utilized for transmission of vital signs in the proposed RPM system. They provide flexibility and mobility to patients. A prototype system for RPM is designed and simulated. The results illustrated the capability, suitability and limitation of the chosen technology

Securing ZigBee Commercial Communications Using Constellation Based Distinct Native Attribute Fingerprinting

This work provides development of Constellation Based DNA (CB-DNA) Fingerprinting for use in systems employing quadrature modulations and includes network protection demonstrations for ZigBee offset quadrature phase shift keying modulation. Results are based on 120 unique networks comprised of seven authorized ZigBee RZSUBSTICK devices, with three additional like-model devices serving as unauthorized rogue devices. Authorized network device fingerprints are used to train a Multiple Discriminant Analysis (MDA) classifier and Rogue Rejection Rate (RRR) estimated for 2520 attacks involving rogue devices presenting themselves as authorized devices. With MDA training thresholds set to achieve a True Verification Rate (TVR) of TVR = 95% for authorized network devices, the collective rogue device detection results for SNR ≥ 12 dB include average burst-by-burst RRR ≈ 94% across all 2520 attack scenarios with individual rogue device attack performance spanning 83.32% \u3c RRR \u3c 99.81%

Increasing throughput in IEEE 802.11 by optimal selection of backoff parameters

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Grant Number: EP/G012628/

A Method for Dynamically Selecting the Best Frequency Hopping Technique in Industrial Wireless Sensor Network Applications

Industrial wireless applications often share the communication channel with other wireless technologies and communication protocols. This coexistence produces interferences and transmission errors which require appropriate mechanisms to manage retransmissions. Nevertheless, these mechanisms increase the network latency and overhead due to the retransmissions. Thus, the loss of data packets and the measures to handle them produce an undesirable drop in the QoS and hinder the overall robustness and energy efficiency of the network. Interference avoidance mechanisms, such as frequency hopping techniques, reduce the need for retransmissions due to interferences but they are often tailored to specific scenarios and are not easily adapted to other use cases. On the other hand, the total absence of interference avoidance mechanisms introduces a security risk because the communication channel may be intentionally attacked and interfered with to hinder or totally block it. In this paper we propose a method for supporting the design of communication solutions under dynamic channel interference conditions and we implement dynamic management policies for frequency hopping technique and channel selection at runtime. The method considers several standard frequency hopping techniques and quality metrics, and the quality and status of the available frequency channels to propose the best combined solution to minimize the side effects of interferences. A simulation tool has been developed and used in this work to validate the method.Research partially supported by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement Number FP7-SEC-2013-1/607292 ZONeSEC-Towards a EU framework for the security of Widezones, in the scope of the activities related to develop technologies that foster the Plug, Play&Forget paradigm. Also partially supported by the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government under Grant IT980-16 and the Spanish Research Council, under grant TIN2016-79897-P

Development of an integrated low-power RF partial discharge detector

This paper presents the results from integrating a low-power partial discharge detector with a wireless sensor node designed for operating as part of an IEEE 802.15.4 sensor network, and applying an on-line classifier capable of classifying partial discharges in real-time. Such a system is of benefit to monitoring engineers as it provides a means to exploit the RF technique using a low-cost device while circumventing the need for any additional cabling associated with new condition monitoring systems. The detector uses a frequency-based technique to differentiate between multiple defects, and has been integrated with a SunSPOT wireless sensor node hosting an agent-based monitoring platform, which includes a data capture agent and rule induction agent trained using experimental data. The results of laboratory system verification are discussed, and the requirements for a fully robust and flexible system are outlined