6LoWPAN network without edge router

Hi Henrik,

With the Sensinode Nanostack 2.0 Lite software stack in the CC-6LOWPAN-DK-868 you need to have one Edge Router (Border Router) which handles the whiteboard. This type of network architecture is called "simple LoWPAN" and is the only one supported by the Nanostack 2.0 Lite. The 6LoWPAN standard does define two other types of network architectures; "ad-hoc lowpan" and "extended lowpan". Ad-hoc is a network with no edge router, while extended is a netowork with two or more edge routers that shares routing information.

The CC-6LOWPAN-DK-868 is meant as a kit that you shall use if you need IP backbone interconnectivity, thus you need a gateway between the 6LoWPAN devices and the "real" IPv6 world.

Could you please describe your application and network architecture requirements, so that we can give you further guidance. You have several options, but we need to know more on specific requirements first.

Thanks,

Jonas 

I can't go into detail with the application publicly but in short I'm developing a sensor network where each node measure the environment around it, and need to share it wireless with the other nodes. (seems to be a typical lowpan application) The nodes are physical placed approx. 100 meters from each other in an outdoor environment.

I imagine that in the future one of the nodes could have a GSM module installed, for accessing nodes and downloading the measured data remotely. In that case I believe I need a router between the lowpan and GSM network.. But until that the router is unnecessary.

Btw, It does seems a bit overkill to have a OMAP processor to do a bit of routing.. But I guess it's because Sensinode's NanoRouter has been developed for Linux and that the OMAP is an easy hardware platform for Linux? Would it be possible to port it to other architecture/OS?

Hi Henrik,

Thanks for the information! To me it is not clear that this needs to be an lowpan application.

6LoWPAN is targeting systems where data is sent from many devices to one, in a tree topology. (It is still a mesh, since routers keep "backup" neighbors) This is due to the fact that RPL, the routing protocol in 6LoWPAN, is a source routing protocol. Thus the routing information is in the packet header from the source to the destination, containing the address of devices that needs to be passed in order to get to the destination. That means that if you send data from one node to another, the data packet will still need to go through the gateway (Edge Router). 

This is not the case in e.g. ZigBee where the routing protocol is not source based, instead all routers have a routing table. So data going from one node to another do not need to pass the gateway. 

If you have not looked at ZigBee I would suggest that you do, with the information I have it seems like a better fit for your application.

The OMAP platform was chosen mainly because it can run Linux easily, which is the base of the Sensinode platform. Sensinode can help if you want to port to other OS. Let me know if you want contact details to the Sensinode team.

Regards,

Jonas

Very useful information.. Thanks a lot..

It seems that I have two options: Even I find a low power and low cost hardware platform running Linux, which I can install the NanoRouter on or i go for another mesh protocol e.g. ZigBee

I found this post of yours: http://e2e.ti.com/support/low_power_rf/f/158/t/156573.aspx#580695 Where you write:

However TI is actively working on solving the licensing issues, and we hope to have a solution very soon. In that case you'll be able to buy everything you need for your systems directly from TI.

Does this mean I can buy the software through TI or are you planning on develop a hardware platform with an OS and the NanoRouter preinstalled?

Henrik,

It means that you will be able to buy the software directly from TI, inlucding licenses for nanorouter (gateway application) and the nanostack. 

Glad you find the information useful!

-Jonas

Jonas,

I am looking for gateway solution for TI 6LoWPAN based solution re: cc430 & CC1180. Can I license the gateway code from TI? Can I talk to local TI representative?

Thanks,

Michael

Hi, Jonas,

As you mentioned, the data exchange between two nodes has to go through the Edge Router, how did you test the communication distance of 800m between two CC430 nodes?  Does that mean there is a Edge Router between the CC430 nodes?

If we buy a CC-6LOWPAN-DK-868 Kit, can we use the software on some boards other than OMAP-L138 based Edge-Router, such as OMAP3503 based board?

And if we want two Edge Routers communicate each other by using 868MHz frequency, could we use CC1180EM in the CC-6LOWPAN-DK-868 Kit or we have to use other hardware? 

Thank you!

Hi,

The distance was between one ER and one CC430, sorry for not being clear.

The Edge Router software has been fully tested and verifed on OMAP-L138, but we have also get the system to run on a BeagleBone. See the 6LoWPAN wiki for instructions: processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/CC-6LoWPAN

The system only supports "Simple 6LoWPAN" refer to the RFC8262. I.e only one ER per 6LoWPAN network is supported. However if you want two ER's to communicate using the IP interface (Ethernet) it is of course fully possible.

-Jonas

The correct RFC is RFC6282: http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc6282/

(replacing RFC4944)

-Jonas