Energy Efficient Data Transfer in Internet of Things Sensor Network using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport

Abstract

Sensors and actuators play a vital role in realizing the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The data transmission capability from edge devices to servers and vice-versa enables IoT applications to be more realistic and effective. However, one of the major challenges to IoT applications is power management at the edge devices. The power consumption of the edge devices depends on the amount of data transferred through the network in a defined interval. Data size and its applicability to the receiving device are controllable parameters, and consequently, energy efficiency can be improved. This work aims to establish an IoT architecture using a message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol that effectively handles the data transmission in the network. It also provides a solution for the elimination of data redundancy; hence, the network was effectively utilized, and the energy consumption was reduced in the edge devices. The proposed architecture was demonstrated with a potentiometer as a data generator and MQTT as a message broker. Further, the transmitted data was received at the edge devices and its performance was analyzed. Based on the results, it was verified that the client was able to receive the data without any loss in terms of precision. Data redundancy was avoided by disabling the data transmission whenever the nodeMCU identifies the constant sensor value. This retains the power at the edge devices and data transmission devices.