Intermittently-connected IoT devices: Experiments with an NDN-DTN architecture

The Named Data Networking and Delay Tolerant Networking architectures were originally targeting distinct networking domains: NDN was designed for content retrieval within fixed networks, while DTN was aiming to deliver data in highly-dynamic wireless topologies with intermittent connectivity. In this paper, we argue that the two technologies can complement each other to shape a joint NDN-DTN scheme which can improve data retrieval from intermittently-connected devices, such as IoT and sensor networks in remote areas. We quantify the improvements by using both DTN- and NDN- associated metrics combined in a common analytical framework and show that NDN-DTN can greatly improve the Interest Satisfaction Ratio and Average Delay when compared to a DTN-only approach, especially in environments with a low Delivery Ratio. We verify our results through experiments with intermittently-connected IoT devices and investigate the impact of parameters such as Interest Lifetime, Data Freshness Period and Contact Duration. We conclude that a joint NDN-DTN approach outperforms a legacy DTN -only setup.