IoT Based Access Mechanism Using InterPlanetary File System
Undergrad Thesis & ProjectOverview
This project is funded by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The objective of the project is to use an Interplanetary file system protocol for secure point to point communication between the User and an IoT device, where the device can be operated without any use of a third-party vendor.
Abstract
In the blooming era of the Internet of Things, trust has been accepted as a vital factor for provisioning secure, reliable, seamless communications and services. However, these IoT devices use various protocols to communicate in which most follow a centralized architecture for data transfer. Some of these protocols are MQTT which has a broker for decoupling and transferring data between publisher and subscriber. These centralized servers can be third party service providers which raises the issue of trust.
To address this, a decentralized and distributed network architecture called IPFS is used instead of third-party service providers. IPFS enables a publish-subscribe model similar to MQTT but by removing the broker and making a peer-to-peer interaction. Peer-to-peer architecture has its challenges like security which can be addressed by encrypting the files or data that has to be sent over the IPFS network using PGP (Pretty Good Privacy).
Key Features
- Decentralized D2D communication using IPFS
- Eliminates third-party service providers
- Secure data transfer using PGP encryption
- Peer-to-peer architecture for IoT devices
- Global accessibility with distributed architecture
Conclusion & Future Work
InterPlanetary File System plays a major role in the field of D2D communication. It not only keeps the data secure but also guarantees total control of the device which can be accessed from any part of the world due to its distributed architecture. The project presents the use of IPFS in the field of IoT as a communication protocol that solves the problem of data accessibility and availability by scaling out centralized servers and cloud platforms.
Future Enhancements:
- Improvised filters to prevent various attacks
- Tracker Node to track requests (Fire and Forget Service)
- Accessing multiple sensors via same channel in real time