Mobile IPv6 in Internet of Things: Analysis, experimentations and optimizations

The IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN) standard allows heavily constrained devices to connect to IPv6 networks. This is an important step towards the Internet of Things, in which most of the physical objects will be connected to the Internet. Among them, a large number is likely to be mobile and therefore requires a mobility management protocol to maintain IP connectivity. Layer 3 mobility is commonly managed by Mobile IPv6 but this protocol is categorized as too complex for constrained devices in the literature. Such conclusions are based on simulations or experimentations in which several aspects of the protocol remain insufficiently detailed nor evaluated. In this article, we propose a complete evaluation of Mobile IPv6 over 6LoWPAN. For this, we have implemented Mobile IPv6 in the Contiki operating system and have performed intensive experimentations on a real testbed. We also propose a new mechanism for movement detection, as the standard procedure cannot be applied as is. This new mechanism, referred to as Mobinet, is based on passive overhearings. The results highlight that Mobile IPv6 can be a practical solution to manage layer 3 mobility on 6LoWPAN.