Advantages and Disadvantages of Different IoT Protocols

IoT is the concept wherein physical objects and devices exchange data and communicate with one another through the Internet or various networks. To have an excellent user experience, it is important that the data communication be seamless and fast.

Understanding different protocols, their advantages, and their limitations are vital to building a great product or solution. GRhombustech, a leading company offering IoT testing services in India, has compiled a list of basic protocols used in IoT and analyzed their advantages and disadvantages in detail. The main real-time protocols used in IoT today are

1. XMPP
2. CoAP and
3. MQTT

The advantages and disadvantages of them are

XMPP

XMPP is an acronym for eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. It is a TCP communication protocol based on XML.

Advantages

1. Can be used in publish-subscribe systems because of the XML base.
2. It includes presence information and contact list maintenance.
3. It is open and decentralized in nature.
4. Different aspects are highly customizable per individual user needs and requirements.
5. It is easy to own an XMPP server and hence API operators can create their own network of devices.
6. Security can be customized and enhanced based on specific needs and requirements as the XMPP server can be isolated behind secure protocols.
7. Short messages are used and communication is fast.
8. It allows servers based on different architectures to communicate.
9. It is a stable protocol.

Disadvantages

1. This is a lack of end-to-end encryption.
2. There is no way to make sure that messages are delivered. The quality of Service (QoS) mechanism is not there.
3. XML content transports asynchronously and there is a possibility of the server overloading.

CoAP

CoAP is an acronym for Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). It was developed to allow communication over the Internet using UDP instead of TCP and thus benefit resource-constrained devices. CoAP is a simple request/response protocol and follows the client/server model.

Advantages

1. The packet size used is very small thus maximizing the use of memory efficiency and allowing for faster communication.
2. Since it operates over UDP, devices can sleep for extended periods and wake up quickly. This in turn helps to save battery and optimize power usage.
3. CoAP allows for asynchronous message exchanges.
4. Sensor nodes can send their messages to a multicast group.
5. Offers simple proxy and caching capabilities.

Disadvantages

1. It is a one-to-one protocol, and any broadcast capabilities are not inherent to the protocol.
2. The publish-subscribe message queue is lacking.
3. It is not an encrypted protocol.
4. In the case of Network Address Translation devices being used, CoAP can have problems since the IP can be a dynamic IP.
5. CoAP is also an evolving and maturing standard.

MQTT

MQTT is an acronym for Message Queue Telemetry Transport and is a publish-subscribe messaging protocol. It was again built with resource-constrained devices in mind.

Advantages

1. It is capable of many-to-many broadcasts.
2. Supports publish-subscribe messaging queue.
3. This protocol is light in weight and offers efficient data transmission
4. MQTT offers reduced network bandwidth in communication.

Disadvantages

1. The number of times devices can be put to sleep is limited. For such cases where the device sleeps more, MQTT-S, which works with UDP instead of TCP needs to be used.
2. There is no encryption in the base protocol.
3. Any custom security at the application level is difficult and will require significant work.

Why GRhombustech?

GRhombustech is a leading software development company in USA and has the best IoT testing experts in the business. From smart devices to technology stacks, we have end-to-end capabilities in the IoT domain.

We are led by a dedicated and experienced team and take pride in offering cutting-edge solutions to any business challenge. We have partnered with leading brands and names from different countries like Cynergy of Isreal, uPonder Labs USA, etc. We have delivery centers in different locations in India and partner offices in the USA and Nethelands.

For any additional queries or business needs, feel free to contact us!