1 C] Explain IoT networking components.
An IoT implementation is composed of several components, which may vary with their
application domains. the broad components that come into play during the establishment of any
IoT network can be classified into six types:
1) IoT node, 2) IoT router, 3) IoT LAN, 4) IoT WAN, 5) IoT gateway, and 6) IoT proxy.
A typical IoT implementation from a networking perspective is shown in Figure 9. The
individual components are briefly described here:
(i) IoT Node: These are the networking devices within an IoT LAN. Each of these devices is typically made up of a sensor, a processor, and a radio, which communicates with the network infrastructure (either within the LAN or outside it). The nodes may be connected to other nodes inside a LAN directly or by means of a common gateway for that LAN. Connections outside the LAN are through gateways and proxies.
(ii) IoT Router: An IoT router is a piece of networking equipment that is primarily tasked with the routing of packets between various entities in the IoT network; it keeps the traffic lowing correctly within the network. A router can be repurposed as a gateway by enhancing its functionalities.
(iii) IoT LAN: The local area network (LAN) enables local connectivity within the purview of a single gateway. Typically, they consist of short-range connectivity technologies. IoT LANs may or may not be connected to the Internet. Generally, they are localized within a building or an organization.
(iv) IoT WAN: The wide area network (WAN) connects various network segments such as LANs. They are typically organizationally and geographically wide, with their operational range lying between a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers. IoT WANs connect to the Internet and enable Internet access to the segments they are connecting.
(v) IoT Gateway: An IoT gateway is simply a router connecting the IoT LAN to a WAN or the Internet. Gateways can implement several LANs and WANs. Their primary task is to forward packets between LANs and WANs, and the IP layer using only layer 3.
(vi) IoT Proxy: Proxies actively lie on the application layer and performs application layer functions between IoT nodes and other entities. Typically, application layer proxies are a means of providing security to the network entities under it; it helps to extend the addressing range of its network.
In Figure 9 various IoT nodes within an IoT LAN are configured to one another as well as talk to the IoT router whenever they are in the range of it. The devices have locally unique (LU-x) device identifiers. These identifiers are unique only within a LAN. There is a high chance that these identifiers may be repeated in a new LAN. Each IoT LAN has its own unique identifier, which is denoted by IoT LAN-x in Figure 9. A router acts as a connecting link between various LANs by forwarding messages from the LANs to the IoT gateway or the IoT proxy. As the proxy is an application layer device, it is additionally possible to include features such as firewalls, packet filters, and other security measures besides the regular routing operations.