End-to-End Delay Enhancement in 6LoWPAN Testbed Using Programmable Network Concepts

Abstract

This paper introduces a proof-of-concept 6LoWPAN testbed to study the integration of programmable network technologies in relaxed throughput and low-power IoT devices. Open source software and hardware platforms are used in the implemented testbed to increase the possibility of future network extension. The proposed architecture offers end-to-end connectivity via the 6LoWPAN gateway to integrate IPv6 hosts and the low data rate devices directly. Nowadays, SoftwareDefined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) are the most promising technologies for dealing with the massive increase in M2M devices and achieving agile traffic. The developed approach in this paper is entitled tailored Software Defined-Network Function Virtualization (SD-NFV), which is aimed at reducing the end-to-end delay and improving the energy depletion in sensor nodes. Experimental scenarios of the implemented testbed are conducted using a simple sensing application and the obtained results indicate that the introduced approach is appropriate for constrained IoT devices. By utilizing SD-NFV scheme in 6LoWPAN network, the data delivery ratio increased by 5-14%, the node operational time prolonged by 70%, the end-to-end latency for gathering sensor data minimized by ≈160%, and the latency for transmitting control messages to a specified node diminished by ≈63% when compared to a traditional (non SDN-enabled) 6LoWPAN network.