There are three main layers of interoperability:
Device layer: At the device level, a device-to-device (D2D) solution will make it possible for new IoT devices to easily connect and work with existing devices. D2D refers to direct communication between two devices without the intervention or relay of a centralized control point such as a base station or a central server. It is a type of gateway that supports a variety of communication protocols and can also handle raw data transfer. It is made up of two parts—one that takes care of network access and communication, and another that handles all other gateway functions and services. If the connection is lost, the virtual part can still respond to requests from the API and middleware. This modular approach allows for the addition of extra services as needed, making it possible for the network of smart devices to grow and evolve quickly. In a smart home, various devices such as smart bulbs, smart locks, and smart thermostats can directly communicate with each other with D2D solutions, utilizing the device layer. For instance, a smart thermostat can directly communicate with smart window blinds to adjust the room temperature without needing to communicate through a central hub.
Middleware layer: In the middleware layer, different types of IoT devices work together, making it easy to find and manage the resources they need. This is done by creating a pretend layer and connecting different IoT platforms to it. This pretend layer provides services that help manage the virtual representation of the devices and their information, which can be accessed through a general API. By having this layer in place, it becomes possible to use smart devices in large and complex IoT systems. For instance, in a hospital, middleware can help integrate data from various medical devices such as heart-rate monitors, oxygen-level sensors, and electronic health records (EHRs), creating a unified patient monitoring system accessible via a common API.
Network layer: A node-to-node (N2N) solution makes it so that different networks can work together easily, allowing smart devices to move around and information to be shared easily. N2N is the direct communication or interaction between two network nodes without intermediaries. It also lets different networks connect to each other using gateways and platforms. This is done by creating a pretend network using special technologies called software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) and using the N2N API to help. SDN is an approach to networking where control functions are decoupled from the physical infrastructure, allowing for centralized and programmable network management. NFV involves the decoupling of network functions from proprietary hardware appliances, enabling these functions to run as software instances on commodity hardware. This solution will help build a system where everything works together seamlessly and will fix the problem of smart devices not being able to move around easily. Autonomous cars navigating city streets can use network-to-network solutions to communicate directly with each other for real-time traffic management and accident avoidance.
Now that we understand the different layers, we can look into architecting for interoperability.
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