Protocols

Protocols For IoT: MQTT, CoAP, and More Devices in homes and factories speak with simple rules. Two popular choices are MQTT and CoAP, each with its own strengths. This guide explains how they work and how to pick the right protocol for your project. MQTT: a light, brokered option MQTT uses a publish-subscribe model. Sensors publish messages to topics, and a central broker forwards them to subscribers. This setup fits telemetry, remote control, and apps that need reliable delivery in tight networks. QoS levels 0, 1, and 2 let you tune speed and reliability. Keep-alive pings help detect broken links, and TLS protects data in transit. When used well, MQTT scales from a few devices to thousands. ...

Protocol Design for IoT and Edge Devices Designing communication protocols for IoT and edge devices means balancing constraints with needs. Devices are small, battery powered, and often installed in hard-to-reach places. Networks can be unreliable, and bandwidth is precious. A good protocol stays simple, scalable, and secure, while offering room to grow. Key design areas Transport: MQTT is popular for publish‑subscribe, CoAP suits constrained UDP networks, and lightweight HTTP works well for broader compatibility. Choose based on memory, latency, and gateway availability. Reliability: Decide on delivery semantics. At least once ensures data arrives but may duplicate messages; at most once minimizes traffic but risks loss during outages. Data formats: Use compact encodings like CBOR or MessagePack rather than heavy JSON. Add a small header with device_id, timestamp, and schema_version for easy processing. Security: Require strong authentication and encryption. Use TLS for TCP, DTLS for UDP, and rotate keys regularly. Consider device attestation at boot. Management and lifecycle: Plan for over-the-air updates, remote configuration, and key revocation. Design for graceful degradation if the cloud is unreachable. Practical guidelines ...