A Multi-Protocol IoT Platform for Enhanced Interoperability and Standardization in Smart Home

This research presents an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for smart home environments that addresses interoperability and scalability issues among devices of different vendors by standardizing the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages and topics. The designed IoT platform is structured according to the 3-layer architecture paradigm, comprising the edge, the fog and the cloud layers. By performing functionality tests to verify the correct readings and control of different smart devices, we validate the interoperability of the full platform. The functionality of the platform is assessed by implementing a fall detection use case, where the field devices are triggered to perform specific actions after receiving an alarm of a person's fall. We analyze the best location for the MQTT broker, quantifying the advantage of a local network deployment, compared to the cloud.