IPv6 solutions enabling mobile services for the "Internet of Things"

Abstract:
In this paper we focus on wireless proximity technologies, which are attracting an ever increasing attention for advantages such as easy integration in user mobile phones and terminals, low power consumption and low chipset costs. However, interoperability between wireless proximity technologies and IP networks is at a very early stage. For instance, the ZigBee protocol stack, which is one of the most widespread protocol stack for IEEE 802.15.4 low-rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs), in its current version integrates a network layer not compatible with the IP network layer. Thus in this paper, we first of all describe real application scenarios and mobile services which demonstrate how mobile phones and terminals integrating some kind of wireless proximity technology can take great advantage from the direct interoperability with IP networks. Secondly, as proof of concept, we also present a real test-bed based on a protocol architecture where IEEE 802.15.4 WPANs nodes and mobile terminals are IP-enabled and can interact with the public Internet, and describing real applications running on the test-bed1.