Networking Technology Comparison

The possibilities for Internet enabling devices are countless, and constitute a desirable product feature that personal and business consumers want, and are willing to pay for. Before a solution can maximise this potential it must first overcome a number of challenges, the greatest of which are listed in the following table:

Challenges for IoT Solutions
Naming and uniquely identifying nodes	Autonomy - operation without Internet access
Authentication	Privacy
Data integrity	Intelligent and flexible data acquisition
Multiple and different data flows	Ease of use
Traversing firewalls	Scalability
Hardware and software cost	Internationalisation

This page demonstrates how FreeRTOS+Nabto meets each challenge by using UDP hole punching to create peer to peer connections to IoT devices (the same method used by Skype to set up a call). Don't worry if that doesn't mean anything to you! FreeRTOS+Nabto handles all the networking, routing and encryption necessary to securely network enable your IoT devices. All you need to do as an application writer is compile the source code, write a single interface function, and make use of our fully managed cloud service. Instructions and tutorials are provided on this site.

By way of comparison, three Internet connectivity solutions are considered - two less innovative but more traditional solutions, and finally the FreeRTOS+Nabto solution:

A traditional embedded TCP/IP server
A traditional and inflexible cloud solution
The FreeRTOS+Nabto Peer to Peer solution

Traditional Embedded TCP/IP Server Solutions

The architecture of a traditional embedded webserver
[Click to enlarge]

Traditional architectures rely on a direct connection to the embedded device. They suffer from a host of problems that include:

IP address allocation and address resolution
Penetrating firewalls
Controlling a device using an inappropriate protocol
Authentication and encryption within the embedded device
Processing, storage and RAM requirements: The embedded device must be large and powerful enough to incorporate a TCP/IP stack, HTTP server, and a file system
Software complexity: The TCP/IP stack, HTTP server and file system must be integrated, tested and maintained.

Traditional Inflexible Cloud Solutions

traditional cloud solution for the Internet of Things

A traditional and inflexible cloud solution
[Click to enlarge]

Traditional cloud solutions do not solve all the problems listed in the Traditional Embedded TCP/IP Server section, and introduce new potential problems of their own:

Autonomous operation and commissioning is difficult or impossible, especially in the permanent or intermittent absence of Internet connectivity
Data storage and analytics are handled in a single monolithic system
Privacy and vendor lock in are issues when the monolithic system is owned by a third party
When data is collected and when data is pushed to the cloud are pre-defined in firmware, making the system very inflexibly, and resulting in wasted RAM and network throughput.

FreeRTOS+Nabto Peer to Peer Cloud Solution

A selection of usage scenarios - Click images to enlarge
Remote GUI P2P connection example	Local GUI P2P connection example	Connecting multiple data acquisition systems

The following table describes how FreeRTOS+Nabto peer to peer connections solve all the challenges listed at the top of this page:

Challenge	FreeRTOS+Nabto Solution
Naming and uniquely identifying nodes	Each device has a unique and resolvable URL on your chosen domain.
Autonomy - operation without Internet access	Peer to peer technology allows connections to be established on local networks. FreeRTOS+Nabto includes link local device discovery. User interface Web content is cached on local machines for use when the cloud server cannot be contacted.
Authentication	Authentication is performed in the cloud. Click here for a diagram that demonstrates the process.
Privacy	Data is encrypted. Peer to peer connections removes the requirement to store data on third party hardware. Different access levels can be granted to different users.
Data integrity	Data packets are very small and data integrity is built into the protocol.
Intelligent and flexible data acquisition	Control of when and how much data to acquire remains with the acquisition system, not the embedded device.
Multiple and different data flows	Any authenticated device can acquire and store data by making connections at any time.
Ease of use	The application developer is completely shielded from the protocol implementation details. Data is passed into and out from the embedded device through a single C function. Rich user interfaces are created using standard web technologies. The option for a fully managed cloud hosting service allows developers to concentrate solely on their area of expertise, and get to market faster. The embedded device does not require a TCP/IP stack or a file system. The user interface to all devices can be updated by changing the web content files on the cloud server.
Traversing firewalls	The use of outgoing connections means firewall hassles are a thing of the past.
Scalability	Data throughput is tiny: Peer to peer connections remove any redundant transmissions, and data is transmitted in tiny packets. Additional servers can be added, with load balancing if necessary.
Hardware and software cost	Traditional solutions, with their additional processing, software, network throughput and complexity requirements, can have a hardware and software cost of $25-$50 per unit. By adopting Nabto's off the shelf communication platform, the same functionality can be achieved for as little $5 per unit. To make this even more compelling - Nabto have already spent the time and money on the research and development for you.
Internationalisation	The cloud server can serve different content to different geographical regions - moving the internationalisation burden from the embedded device into the cloud.