Communication Protocols Overview¶
The IoT Toolkit supports three communication protocols over WiFi for cloud connectivity.
Protocol Comparison¶
| Protocol | Transport | Use Case | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQTT | TCP | IoT messaging | Real-time telemetry, pub/sub |
| HTTP | TCP | REST APIs | Request/response, web services |
| CoAP | UDP | Constrained IoT | Low-power, UDP networks |
When to Use Each¶
MQTT (Recommended)¶
- Real-time monitoring: Continuous sensor streams
- Event-driven: Alerts and notifications
- Low bandwidth: Efficient binary protocol
- Bidirectional: Device commands and telemetry
HTTP¶
- Web integration: REST APIs, web services
- Simplicity: Widely understood, easy debugging
- Compatibility: Works with any web server
- Request-based: On-demand data fetching
CoAP¶
- Constrained environments: Low-power devices
- UDP networks: NAT traversal, multicast
- Efficiency: Smaller overhead than HTTP
- Proxy support: HTTP/CoAP translation
Protocol Selection Guide¶
Real-time monitoring? --> MQTT
Web API integration? --> HTTP
Low-power/UDP network? --> CoAP
Unsure? --> Start with MQTT
Quick Start¶
- MQTT Setup - Primary recommendation
- HTTP Setup - For web service integration
- CoAP Setup - For specialized use cases
Security Considerations¶
All protocols support: - TLS/SSL encryption (MQTT over TLS, HTTPS) - Authentication (username/password, certificates) - Access control (topic permissions, API keys)
Security Best Practice
Always use encryption (TLS/SSL) for production deployments, even on local networks.
Cloud Compatibility¶
| Protocol | AWS IoT Core | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| MQTT | ✓ Native | ✓ Mosquitto |
| HTTP | ✓ API Gateway | ✓ Custom server |
| CoAP | ✗ Not supported | ✓ Custom broker |
Next Steps¶
Choose your protocol and proceed to cloud setup.