Performance analysis of an IP based protocol stack for WSNs

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are the key enablers of the internet of things (IoT) paradigm. Traditionally, sensor network research has been to be unlike the internet, motivated by power and device constraints. The IETF 6LoWPAN draft standard changes this, defining how IPv6 packets can be efficiently transmitted over IEEE 802.15.4 radio links. Due to this 6LoWPAN technology, low power, low cost microcontrollers can be connected to the internet forming what is known as the Wireless embedded internet. Another IETF recommendation, CoAP allows these devices to communicate interactively over the internet. The integration of such tiny, ubiquitous electronic devices to the internet enables interesting real-time applications. We evaluate the performance of a stack consisting of CoAP and 6LoWPAN over the IEEE 802.15.4 radio link using the Contiki OS and Cooja simulator, along with the CoAP framework Californium (Cf).