Introduction

In the ever-expanding landscape of the Internet of Things (IoT), the terms “protocols” and “standards” are often used interchangeably. However, they refer to distinct concepts that play critical roles in the development and implementation of IoT solutions

IoT Protocol

An IoT (Internet of Things) protocol refers to a set of rules and standards that enable devices and systems to communicate and exchange data within an IoT network. These protocols define the methods and formats for data transmission, device discovery, connectivity, and security in an IoT environment.

They are designed to accommodate the unique requirements of IoT devices, which often have limited resources such as processing power, memory, and energy. They aim to provide efficient and reliable communication between devices, while minimizing bandwidth usage and power consumption.

IoT Standard

IoT standards define the requirements for IoT devices and systems. They can cover a wide range of topics, such as security, interoperability, and data formats. IoT standards are developed and maintained by various organizations and consortia that specialize in setting technical guidelines, frameworks, and best practices for the Internet of Things.  Some of the organizations are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC).

Relationship Protocols and Standards

IoT protocols and IoT standards are closely intertwined but serve different purposes in the IoT ecosystem. Protocols dictate how data is transmitted and received, while standards define the broader framework for building interoperable and secure IoT solutions.

Standards often incorporate or recommend specific protocols as the preferred means of communication to ensure consistency and compatibility across different implementations.

Classification of IoT Protocols

IoT Protocols are classified as:

IoT Network Protocols	IoT Data Protocols	Data Communication Protocols
Wi-Fi LTE – M NB-IoT Bluetooth ZigBee LoRaWAN	AMQP MQTT HTTP CoAP DDS LwM2M	USB UART / USART I2C SPI CAN

IoT Network Protocols :

Wi-Fi is a most common and ubiquitous protocol that can be found almost anywhere—industrial plants, homes, commercial buildings, and even your neighborhood restaurants. This widely favored technology is able to transmit large volumes of data over reasonable distances. However, many low power IoT devices are battery operated and thus unlikely to use Wi-Fi due to its high power consumption rate.

LTE-M stands for Long Term Evolution for Machines. This is a type of LPWAN – Low Power Wide Area Network. This is used along with cellular networks to provide security. LTE-M works in a frequency range of 1.4MHz-5MHz, and the data rate can go up to 4MBPS

Narrow Band-IoT is a fast-growing, low-power, wide-area technology intended to specifically target the needs of battery-powered IoT devices.

Bluetooth focuses on point-to-point, short-range communication of a relatively small amount of data. In the IoT space, Bluetooth is commonly used to connect small, battery-powered sensors to IoT gateways or to facilitate communication with a smartphone, eBike, or other smart device.

ZigBee stands out as a low-cost, low-power, and reliable wireless network technology. The standard is adaptable and supports multiple network topologies, including mesh networks, point-to-multipoint, and point-to-point. ZigBee is most commonly used in home or building automation settings.

Long-range wide area network—also referred to as LoRa—is a long-range, radio-wide networking protocol with low power consumption. Normally, LoRaWAN wirelessly connects multiple battery-operated devices to the Internet within regional, national, or global networks.

IoT Data Protocols

• AMQP
• MQTT
• HTTP
• CoAP
• DDS
• LwM2M

Data Communication Protocols

• USB
• UART / USART
• I2C
• SPI
• CAN