Inter-network Coexistence in the Internet of Things
draft-feeney-t2trg-inter-network-03

Abstract

The breadth of IoT applications implies that there will be many diverse, administratively independent networks operating in the same physical location. In many cases, these networks will use unlicensed spectrum, due to its low cost and ease of deployment. However, this spectrum is becoming increasingly crowded. IoT networks will therefore be subject to wireless interference, both from similar networks and from networks that use the wireless channel in very different ways. High-density, heterogeneous wireless environments present formidable challenges for network coexistence. The PHY and MAC layers are primarily responsible for managing how radios use the channel. But higher layer protocols are also a key factor in inter-network interaction. To date, there have been few performance studies of coexistence in future IoT operating environments, particularly with respect to protocol behavior and network-scale interactions. This document describes key challenges for coexistence and highlights some recent research results that demonstrate the impact of protocol level interactions on network performance. It identifies both concrete and speculative opportunities for the IRTF T2TRG community. The former include developing and documenting best practices for performance evaluation and contributing IoT-related protocols being developed within IETF. The latter include speculative research into the design of high-layer protocols that allow networks to actively coordinate their access to the shared channel.

Authors

Laura Marie Feeney
Viktoria Fodor

(Note: The e-mail addresses provided for the authors of this Internet-Draft may no longer be valid.)