A comparative analysis of protocols for IoT network management

Abstract

The complexity and growth of new smart objects networks are generating a new demand for the maintenance of these devices, with the need to remotely monitor and control these devices without consuming significant resources. Analyzing the memory and electric power consumption of the protocols used in the management of these networks is a way to highlight the best protocol alternatives for this type of application. This study develops an experimental study, analyzing the behavior of SNMP, Zabbix, and MQTT protocols, in terms of memory and electric power consumption, when it is used in an Internet of Things application, with a sensor device implemented on the ESP8266. The experiment is performed by monitoring devices in an environment with some Motes and a Zabbix server. The study analyzes the ROM and RAM memories occupied by the firmware code, in addition to the electric power consumption of each protocol. At the end, the study confirms that the three protocols analyzed are supported by the platform used. The research shows that the SNMP is the protocol that consumes the least amount of device memory, that there is no significant difference in the energy consumption between the protocols, and that the MQTT protocol is suitable to be used in this environment and it also enables a significant reduction in energy consumption.