XMPP-based wireless sensor network and its integration into the extended home environment

Wireless sensor networks have significant potential in the home environment. Home application scenarios include monitoring and interaction from several remote or local devices such as mobile phones, televisions or computers. In this paper we propose an architecture for a network based on IP-enabled wireless sensors. The communication system is based on the XMPP-protocol which is shown to be highly suitable for the sensor networks. XMPP provides a push based notification functionality that is especially appropriate for the event-driven paradigm of sensors and also provides the authentication and encryption required for data protection. We also use Atom feeds together with XMPP to enable remote web service-like access to the wireless sensor network. Integration of this XMPP-based wireless sensor network with the standard UPnP media-oriented network is done using a XMPP to UPnP gateway. In this paper, home applications and services are first introduced and different technologies supporting them are described. Next, the benefits of XMPP/IP architecture compared to non-IP sensor networks and to the UPnP based sensor network are discussed. We then present our XMPP-based wireless sensor network, with web-service like access, using XMPP and Atom feeds, also interfacing with UPnP. These solutions have been implemented on internet tablet devices allowing a flexible, highly functional and open system for integrating sensor network with the media environment.