Quick and efficient network access schemes for IoT devices

In an IoT (Internet of Things) network, nodes need first to access the network resources before they can transmit data. If the data to be transmitted require real-time guarantees, then the node should not be stuck in the process of accessing resources. Quick and efficient access to the network resources is desirable for timely data communication. To this end, we have studied the IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.15.4e-TSCH standards and have proposed energy-efficient algorithms to ensure that the nodes can access the resources at the earliest. We have proposed a “Device Registration” algorithm for IEEE 802.15.4 networks, which aims at increasing accessibility of the Guaranteed Time Slots (GTSs) available in the superframe. The algorithm can be implemented by making minor modifications to the parameters within the existing MAC framework. Similarly, we have proposed a “Sparse Beacon Advertisement”, a beacon scheduling algorithm, for IEEE 802.15.4e-TSCH networks that aims at reducing the wait time for a new node before it joins the network, even when there are few beacons being advertised. Both these algorithms have been evaluated extensively using simulations and experiments on a testbed. Our results show that in an IEEE 802.15.4 network, with the proposed algorithm, nodes are twice as successful in accessing the GTS resources as they were before. Similarly, Sparse Beacon Advertisement reduces the joining times by at least 60% in an IEEE 802.15.4e-TSCH network.