Comparison of Wireless Communication Technologies used in a Smart Home : Analysis of wireless sensor node based on Arduino in home automation scenario

Abstract: Context. Internet of Things (IoT) is an extension of the Internet, which now includes physical objects of the real world. The main purpose of Internet of Things is to increase a quality of people’s daily life. A smart home is one of the promising areas in the Internet of Things which increases rapidly. It allows users to control their home devices anytime from any location in the world using Internet connectivity and automate their work based on the physical environment conditions and user preferences. The main issues in deploying the architecture of IoT are the security of the communication between constrained low-power devices in the home network and device performance. Battery lifetime is a key QoS parameter of a battery-powered IoT device which limits the level of security and affects the performance of the communication. These issues have been deepened with the spread of cheap and easy to use microcontrollers which are used by electronic enthusiasts to build their own home automation projects. Objectives. In this study, we investigated wireless communication technologies used in low-power and low-bandwidth home area networks to determine which of them are most suitable for smart home applications. We also investigated the correlation between security, power consumption of constrained IoT device, and performance of wireless communication based on a model of a home automation system with a sensor node. Sensor node was implemented using Arduino Nano microcontroller and RF 433 MHz wireless communication module. Methods. To achieve the stated objectives of this research following methods were chosen: literature review to define common applications and communication technologies used in a smart home scenario and their requirements, comparison of wireless communication technologies in smart home, study of Arduino microcontroller technology, design and simulation of a part of  home automation project based on Arduino, experimental measurements  of execution time and power consumption of Arduino microcontroller with RF 433 MHz wireless module when transmitting data with different levels of security, and analysis of experimental results. Results. In this research, we presented a detailed comparison of ZigBee, WiFi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and ANT communication technologies used in a smart home in terms of the main characteristics. Furthermore, we considered performance, power consumption, and security. A model of a home automation system with a sensor node based on Arduino Nano was described with sleep management and performance evaluation. The results show that the battery lifetime of Arduino in a battery-powered sensor node scenario is determined by the communication speed, sleep management, and affected by encryption. Conclusions. The advanced communication strategy can be used to minimize the power consumption of the device and increase the efficiency of the communication. In that case, our security measures will reduce the productivity and lifetime of the sensor node not significantly. It’s also possible to use symmetric encryption with smaller block size.