6LoWPAN: Low-power IP connectivity

Networking Technology Update This newsletter is sponsored by Hitachi The First True Enterprise-Class Blade Server Go inside Hitachi's BladeSymphony 1000, which combines virtualization technology, integrated management capabilities, and reliable, scalable system resources to consolidate infrastructure, optimize workloads and run mission-critical apps. Click here to download this exclusive whitepaper. Networking Technology Update, 05/14/07 6LoWPAN: low-power IP connectivity By David E. Culler Until recently, extending IP out to wireless industrial networks was thought to be impractical, if not impossible. Vendors embraced proprietary protocols because they presumed that IP, which is memory- and bandwidth-intensive, couldn’t be scaled down to operate on the microcontrollers and low-power wireless links used in these environments. VoIP: Lessons from Early Adopters Experts say VoIP isn't a magic wand that will solve all of an organization's communications challenges right out of the box. Learn why VoIP may not produce expected savings and productivity gains, and other lessons from early adopters. Click Here to Watch The release of the IETF 6LoWPAN draft standard for IPv6 communication over IEEE 802.15.4 redraws the landscape. 6LoWPAN’s potential for low-power operation makes it attractive for use in everything from handhelds to instruments, and its built-in support for AES-128 encryption offers the basis for robust authentication and security. IEEE 802.15.4, standardized in 2004, was designed to enable the development of compact, low-power, inexpensive embedded devices, such as sensors, that can run on batteries for one to five years. IEEE 802.15.4 carries information on radio transceivers at 2.4GHz — roughly the same band as Wi-Fi but using about 1% of the power. Because this limits transmission range, collections of devices must work together to route information hop by hop over longer distances and around obstacles. The charter of the IETF 6LoWPAN working group was to define how to carry IP-based communication over IEEE 802.15.4 links while conforming to open standards and assuring interoperability with other IP devices. For more on this story, please click here.

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Contact the author: Culler is co-founder and CTO at Arch Rock Corp., and a professor of computer science at University of California, Berkeley. He can be reached at dculler@archrock.com. This newsletter is sponsored by Hitachi The First True Enterprise-Class Blade Server Go inside Hitachi's BladeSymphony 1000, which combines virtualization technology, integrated management capabilities, and reliable, scalable system resources to consolidate infrastructure, optimize workloads and run mission-critical apps. Click here to download this exclusive whitepaper. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007