Solving the Networking Lag in Massive IoT Devices

A team of researchers has proposed a solution for the networking lag in massive IoT devices.

More companies are adopting the Internet of Things (IoT).

According to a survey from Microsoft, 85 percent of companies have at least one Industrial Internet of Things use case. What’s more, 94 percent of the respondents say they’ll implement IIoT strategies by 2021.

IoT plays various roles in the workplace – from surgeons who perform precise surgeries using robots to manufacturing machines with sensors. As a result, a networking lag could have a disastrous outcome.

To address this issue, the researchers at the University of Pittsburgh‘s Swanson School of Engineering have proposed a solution. It’s a system that involves using underutilized resources in an existing wireless channel to create lag-free connections.

In a statement, study author and associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wei Gao said:

“The IoT has a great future in smart buildings, transportation systems, smart manufacturing, cyber-physical health systems, and beyond. Our research could remove a significant barrier holding it back.”

The team published their findings on ACM Digital Library. Other authors of the study include Haoyang Lu, Ph.D., and Ruirong Chen.

Here’s what the researchers propose.

Using EasyPass to Solve Networking Lag in Massive IoT Devices

The researchers explained that the network’s response to channel quality or the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) could be slow.

While networks can adapt to accommodate heavy or light traffic on the channel, the changes are not always instantaneous. In other words, there’s still a lag between the channel condition change and network adjustment.

To solve the network lag, the University of Pittsburgh team suggests building a side channel. And they’re calling the method EasyPass.

According to the team, EasyPass would use the existing SNR margin as a dedicated side channel for IoT devices. That way, there’ll be no competition and no delay.

In a lab test, Gao and his colleagues noted a 90 percent reduction in data delays on congested IoT networks. There was also a throughput up to 2.5 Mbps over a narrowband wireless link that over 100 IoT devices can access at the same time.

The researchers first presented their findings at the International Conference on Emerging Networking Experiments and Technologies, where it won the best paper.