Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) seamlessly interconnects objects, products and machines. The resulting benefits include increased productivity, reduced waste of resources and enhanced security. In addition, IoT enables completely new services and business models. The InES has broad and proven project experience in designing reliable networks of low-cost, energy-efficient IoT nodes, authenticating those nodes, and providing the technology to operate the various connections securely.
Our Services
Do you want to network your components wirelessly and energy-efficiently? We have proven project expertise with Bluetooth Low Energy (ble), Thread/ZigBee, proprietary Sub-GHz technologies, LoRa, NB-IoT, NFC as well as WiFi and Mobile Communications. We support you in the implementation of intelligent, scalable networks with low energy consumption.
- Design of system concepts, feasibility studies and exhibition demonstrators
- Consulting on the choice of technology and selection of radio components
- Rapid Prototyping and Proof-of-Concept
- Design of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)
- Writing microcontroller firmware: radio, protocols, sensors, actuators
- Interfacing to gateways and service platforms (cloud)
- Implementation of Smartphone Apps
- Verification: Long-term tests and stress testing
- Embedded Security: Threat analysis and protection measures
Selected Areas of Expertise
Building Automation with Thread Network
- Smart Buildings
- Redundant mesh topology for IPv6
- Open Source Stack: OpenThread, Zephyr RTOS (Linux Foundation)
- Protocols: IEEE 802.15.4, 6LoWPAN, IPv6, UDP, DTLS, CoAPS
Bluetooth Low Energy
- Beacons, Connected Mode and Bluetooth Mesh
- Applications in the areas of proximity, identification of objects and data transmission; with and without smartphone
Sub-1GHz
- Precision Agriculture / Precision Farming
- Long-term evaluation in the field of five selected radio components of different manufacturers
- Design and implementation of a radio network for sensors in the vineyard. Installation and configuration procedures specifically adapted to the process in the field.
LoRaWAN and LoRa-based Synchronous Mesh
- Smart Infrastructures / Smart Cities
- Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) according to LoRa Alliance. Use of own or externally operated gateways.
- The LoRa-based Synchronous Mesh, developed in cooperation with Eawag, also reaches nodes in the underground (Deep Indoor).
Embedded Security
- Evaluation board with Arduino form factor for Secure Elements of leading semiconductor vendors. The evaluation board enables a simple and rapid prototyping in customer applications.
- Secure Elements are tamper-proof chips as a storage location for private keys and for processing of cryptographic functions.
- Reference implementations with Zephyr RTOS and Mbed TLS
- Isolation with ARM TrustZone and application of Trusted Execution Environments (TEE)
- Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Updates
- Authentication, encryption and integrity checking on low power IoT radio nodes
Regression Testing of Wireless Networks
- Emulation of the radio links in the FPGA allows the specific control of topologies.
- Protocols and medium access procedures can be tested in an automated and reproducible way.
Selected publications
Synchronous LoRa mesh network to monitor processes in underground infrastructure
Combining Bluetooth Mesh and KNX: the best of both worlds
Securing the IoT: introducing an evaluation platform for secure elements
Using secure microcontrollers in IoT applications
Authenticating wireless nodes in building automation: challenges and approaches
Comparing selected sub-GHz transceivers: results from the field
Selected projects
User Assistance Systems for Smart Commercial Buildings
Identity Management for Heterogenous Wireless Networks
LoRaMesh: Synchronous network to monitor processes
Wireless network for the monitoring of vineyards and orchards
Wireless Digital Signage using E-Paper
User-friendly health logger with wireless links and increased energy autonomy
Meshed, wireless sensor network for large scale systems based on XBee technologie