Design, Implementation and Practical Evaluation of an Opportunistic Communications Protocol Based on Bluetooth Mesh...

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Network Engineering

Background:

• The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices necessitates efficient communication networks, particularly in environments with intermittent connectivity.
• Opportunistic networks offer a decentralized approach for data sharing in such challenging scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel communication protocol for decentralized and opportunistic IoT communications using Bluetooth 5 and libp2p.
• To evaluate the protocol's performance, focusing on latency and obstacle impact in diverse environments.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel communication protocol integrating Bluetooth 5 and the libp2p framework.
• Experimental evaluation in controlled and industrial settings, measuring latency and data loss.
• Analysis of performance under varying connectivity, distance, and obstruction conditions.

Main Results:

• The protocol demonstrates improved data transfer in environments with limited connectivity, suitable for urban and rural areas.
• Achieved average latency of approximately 8 seconds with no data loss in short-distance, low-obstruction scenarios (e.g., homes).
• In industrial settings with metal obstacles and longer distances, average latency was around 8.5 seconds with less than 5% packet loss.

Conclusions:

• The proposed protocol offers a flexible and robust solution for IoT network infrastructure in challenging connectivity environments.
• It is effective for both short-range, low-loss applications and long-range industrial uses with signal attenuation.
• The findings support the protocol's viability for diverse IoT applications, from homes to shipyards.