Where Did IP Come From?
At the beginning of 2023, we celebrated that it’s been 40 years since the precursor of the internet officially moved to the TCP/IP protocol. Designed to be a flexible, versatile protocol to transmit data over large networks of networks, it marked the beginning of what would become an essential part of how we communicate, learn and work today.
As the use of computers at work expanded in the 1980s and 1990s, so did the need for connecting them. After a period of mostly proprietary and incompatible protocols for doing so, it became clear that a universal solution would make things far easier, from a maintenance, cost and interoperability standpoint. And with the increased usage of the internet as an essential business tool, it made sense to base the local office networking on the IP protocol. IP had proven to work with a host of different applications, and it would make integration and communication with the greater internet far easier. Office networks eventually transitioned to IP, and with it, ease of maintenance, versatility and interoperability vastly increased.
Connected Devices
Fast forward a couple of decades, and we enter a period in which there was demand to connect other devices beyond traditional office equipment like computers and printers to a network. Centralising things like lighting and climate control would allow for much more efficient and optimised operation and use.
It became evident that IP could also serve as the foundation for these networks of connected devices. However, the available technology at the time didn’t make this feasible. Computer chips and components did not allow for the full, versatile IP protocol to be used on these constrained, low-cost and often battery operated devices.
As a result, specific protocols that could work within the technical constraints were developed. Some of them were optimised to work as cable replacements (for example for audio), others were based on tightly defined clusters or profiles for specific usage, requiring different implementations for each application. None of them were based on IP, but instead relied on application-specific protocols and networking technologies.
Becoming IoT Devices
This approach worked well for these clearly defined single purpose applications. However, with devices tied into siloed networks, connecting them to allow for fully integrated and multi-domain solutions was no simple task.
Fortunately, advancements in chip design and component manufacturing ushered in a new era which enabled the possibility of applying IP networking technology across all application domains for all kinds of devices. And since the IP protocol allows for a seamless integration with office network infrastructure and the internet, we are truly moving towards the “internet of things.”
Thread Is The IP Solution For Wireless IoT
What Wi-Fi is for data intensive applications like video and audio streaming, Thread is for low bandwidth, battery and power efficient devices. Like Wi-Fi, Thread is fully based on IP and therefore not constrained to any single usage protocol or application type, and like Wi-Fi, it can be seamlessly integrated with the rest of the IP network, both in the home or office.
It’s not surprising that modern application protocols are based on IP now that the technical constraints are no longer an issue. The new Matter standard, defined by Google, Apple, Amazon and hundreds of other companies as the future for internet of things devices, is fully based on IP. It can leverage existing ethernet and Wi-Fi networks, and it has exclusively chosen Thread as its low-power wireless network foundation.
Likewise, in the professional building automation world, well established and proven solutions like KNX and DALI are now offering IP-based versions of their popular protocols, and have selected Thread as the wireless low-power network of choice.
IP Brings Endless Benefits For Installation
Typically, individual infrastructures for various applications require a lot of cabling combined with significant maintenance costs. The current push to move towards a single network infrastructure, driven by costs, security concerns, environmental and other guidelines drove many building owners to fully move to IP technology, resulting in fewer cables and complex wireless solutions.
Growing and extending a network is much easier in an IP-based world, as one can use well known and proven networking scaling methods, such as routers and switches to create subnets. This allows updates to the network architecture without breaking the application.
Maintenance And Usage
When all applications leverage the same IP infrastructure, it becomes easier to reach the far away spots in buildings or plants, by tying into existing cabling or wireless networks.
Individual devices on a wireless Thread network act as mesh network extenders that can be leveraged by all applications.
For example, lighting benefits from the HVAC systems running on the same, IP-based, Thread networks. And if at some point new applications or application protocols are needed, IP offers the flexibility to easily integrate them into the existing network infrastructure.
An IT administrator does not need to have knowledge that is specific to legacy network technologies that were commonly used for the various application domains. IP means that familiar maintenance tools can be used to administer the network. And because IP networks do not require network protocol gateways, a manufacturer or service company can have a direct connection to any device on the network and remotely monitor its usage or tailor it to specific user needs.
In addition, with an IP infrastructure, device manufacturers have a direct connection to their devices and the users giving them valuable insight.
Security
On an IP-based network, data packages remain encrypted as there is no need for gateways or converter boxes. With traditional solutions, these gateways require specific care since they often form a vulnerable spot that might lead to security concerns. The network can leverage state of the art and proven security methods that are used on the internet and on corporate networks.
Security domains can be defined to restrict access to specific subsets of devices. What’s more, on an IP network, every device can be reached by standard equipment using familiar concepts in IT networking, enabling maintenance and operation to be executed remotely.
A Logical Move At A Logical Time
All pieces have come together: the new unified smart home standard Matter and new versions of proven smart building standards like KNX and DALI are based on IP, with Thread there is now for the first time a powerful low-cost wireless mesh networking technology fully based on IP, and there is a wide availability of components and silicon, and even open source software stacks, to speed up development process of devices and solutions for a world of IP-based connected devices.
With previous constraints out of the way, the time to fully embrace IP networks for both traditional office equipment and smart connected devices is now!