JetNet: A proposed protocol for reliable packet delivery in low-power IoT applications

The Internet of Things is envisioned to consist of many devices that are all interconnected. In order to achieve this goal, efficient networking techniques are needed that can connect low-power devices to the rest of the world. This paper presents a new protocol that enables sensor networks to efficiently communicate with a base station. The proposed JetNet protocol utilizes a combination of time division multiple access and frequency hopping techniques to enable low-power multi-hop communication. A bio-inspired routing protocol is adapted to operate with the pseudo-random TDMA algorithm. Using careful hardware design and sufficient energy harvesting it is possible to create net-zero sensor nodes that can operate indefinitely using only the energy that is available from their environment.