6LoWPAN - IPv6 over Low‑Power Wireless Personal Area Networks

What is 6LoWPAN?

6LoWPAN stands for IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks. It is a communication protocol that allows IPv6 packets to be sent and received over IEEE 802.15.4-based low-power wireless networks, commonly used in Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Why is 6LoWPAN useful?

  • Enables IPv6 connectivity on low-power, low-bandwidth wireless devices.

  • Facilitates end-to-end IP communication in constrained networks.

  • Supports mesh networking, ideal for wide-area sensor networks.

  • Allows interoperability between IoT devices and the broader internet.

  • Enables scalability and low-cost deployment of large device networks.

How it works?

  • 6LoWPAN provides an adaptation layer between the IPv6 network layer and the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC/PHY layers.

  • It performs header compression, fragmentation, and packet reassembly to fit IPv6 packets into the small frame sizes of 802.15.4.

  • Devices communicate using standard IPv6 addressing, enabling integration with traditional IP networks.

  • Routing can be achieved using protocols like RPL (Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks).

Where is 6LoWPAN used?

  • In smart homes and smart cities (lighting, thermostats, alarms).

  • Industrial automation and monitoring systems.

  • Environmental sensing (air quality, temperature, humidity sensors).

  • Wearables and medical devices.

  • Agriculture and farming (soil sensors, irrigation systems).

Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?

  • 6LoWPAN functions primarily at the Network Layer (Layer 3) as it handles IPv6 communication.

  • It also includes an adaptation layer that sits between Layer 2 (Data Link) and Layer 3.

IS 6LoWPAN Windows specific?

  • No, 6LoWPAN is not Windows-specific.

  • It is typically implemented on embedded systems, microcontrollers, and IoT devices, not on traditional Windows computers.

IS 6LoWPAN Linux Specific?

  • No, 6LoWPAN is not Linux-specific, but Linux does support it through networking stacks like Contiki-NG, RIOT OS, or Linux Kernel with 6LoWPAN modules.

Which Transport Protocol is used by 6LoWPAN?

  • 6LoWPAN itself operates at the network layer and can support both TCP and UDP at the transport layer over IPv6.

  • UDP is more common due to lower overhead, which suits constrained environments.

Which Port is used by 6LoWPAN?

  • 6LoWPAN does not use a specific port.

  • It encapsulates standard IPv6 packets, which may use various ports depending on the application protocol (e.g., CoAP on UDP port 5683).

Is 6LoWPAN using Client server model?

  • 6LoWPAN itself is a network protocol and does not impose any specific application model.

  • Applications built over 6LoWPAN (e.g., using CoAP) may use client-server, peer-to-peer, or publish-subscribe models.

Topics in this section,

  • In this section, you are going to learn

  • Terminology

  • Version Info

  • rfc details

  • setup

  • setup

  • packet details

  • usecases

  • features

  • Reference links