Rapid prototyping of a wireless sensor network gateway for the internet of things using off-the-shelf components

More than 50 billion devices are estimated to be connected to the Internet by 2020. Incompatibility of devices and protocols (usually proprietary devices and protocols) are one of the major hurdles to be overcome to realise the Internet of Things (IoT) vision. IoT devices are typically constrained devices and this creates dependencies between the hardware, software and protocols used in the device. Open hardware and software platforms to support emerging IoT trends are required. A wireless sensor network gateway was developed in a three-month period using off-the-shelf components. The gateway was based on the Raspberry PI single-board computer; it implemented 6LoWPAN mesh and wireless access point functionality for mobile and low power sensing and actuation devices. The gateway was tested in the following use-case: integrate a battery-operated 6LoWPAN-enabled smart water meter to an IPv6 building network. Several factors that influence the gateway's performance and reliability were identified and should be considered when deploying gateway devices for future endeavours.