Protocol library

Connectivity and integration terms from the EasyNet glossary.

40 terms

0–9

5G NR (5G New Radio)

Radio standard behind 5G networks. Sub-6 GHz gives industrial routers multi-gigabit throughput with wider area coverage than mmWave variants.

A

ABP (Activation by Personalisation)

LoRaWAN activation where keys are hardcoded at manufacture. Devices connect instantly but keys never rotate - less secure than OTAA.

ADR (Adaptive Data Rate)

LoRaWAN feature where the network automatically tunes each device's speed to extend battery life and reduce channel congestion.

B

BACnet

Open protocol letting HVAC controllers, energy meters, and IoT sensors from different brands connect to the same building management system.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

Short-range radio for battery-powered devices. Used in fleet for driver ID fobs, cargo temperature beacons, and sensor pairing up to 100 metres.

C

CAN Bus (Controller Area Network)

Vehicle wiring standard giving GPS trackers direct access to live engine data - fuel use, RPM, fault codes - beyond what OBD-II provides.

Carrier Aggregation (CA)

4G/5G technique using two frequency bands simultaneously to roughly double peak cellular download speeds on an industrial router.

CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)

Lightweight messaging protocol for IoT devices with limited RAM. Runs over UDP instead of TCP to cut connection overhead on constrained networks.

D

DDNS (Dynamic DNS)

Keeps a fixed hostname pointing at a device whose cellular IP changes on every reconnect. Essential for SCADA polling and remote VPN access.

Dual SIM

Two SIM slots in a router or tracker. If one network fails the device switches automatically - ideal for unattended remote monitoring sites.

E

ERPS (Ethernet Ring Protection Switching)

Ring network redundancy protocol restoring connectivity in under 50 milliseconds after a cable failure - far faster than Spanning Tree Protocol.

eSIM / MFF2

SIM soldered permanently to the PCB. No slot to corrode in harsh environments. Carrier profile can be switched remotely without a site visit.

F

Failover

Automatic switch to backup cellular when the primary WAN fails. Keeps remote monitoring sites connected without any manual intervention needed.

FOTA (Firmware Over-the-Air)

Pushing firmware updates to deployed devices wirelessly. Security patches and feature updates delivered without visiting each installation site.

I

IGMP Snooping

Switch feature forwarding multicast video streams only to ports that requested them - prevents camera traffic flooding every device on the network.

IPsec (Internet Protocol Security)

Encrypts network traffic between two endpoints using tunnel mode. Standard protocol for site-to-site VPN on industrial routers and SCADA networks.

L

LoRa (Long Range Radio Modulation)

Radio modulation technology giving 2-5 km urban range at very low power. The physical radio layer that LoRaWAN network protocols are built on top of.

LoRaWAN

Network protocol connecting battery-powered sensors over kilometres. Covers AES-128 encryption, device classes A/B/C, ADR, and EU duty cycle rules.

LoRaWAN Device Classes (A, B, C)

Three operating modes controlling when a device listens for commands. Class A uses least power; Class C gives the lowest possible response latency.

LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network)

Category of wireless technologies - LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M - for IoT devices needing kilometre-scale range on a battery that lasts for years.

LTE-M / Cat-M1

Cellular IoT standard that keeps connection alive as a device moves between towers. The right choice over NB-IoT for any mobile tracking application.

M

Managed Switch

Network switch with full VLAN, QoS, ERPS, and SNMP support. Mandatory wherever OT and IT traffic share the same physical network infrastructure.

Modbus

Serial protocol connecting PLCs, meters, and sensors to control systems. Published in 1979 and still the most widely deployed industrial protocol globally.

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)

Lightweight publish-subscribe protocol for sending IoT sensor data to the cloud. Used by AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, and all major IoT platforms.

N

NAT (Network Address Translation)

Lets multiple devices on a LAN share one public IP. Port forwarding creates specific inbound routes for SCADA polling or remote camera access.

NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT)

Cellular standard for fixed sensors needing deep indoor coverage and years of battery life. 20 dB better building penetration than standard 4G LTE.

NFC (Near Field Communication)

Tap-to-configure technology working within 4 cm. Set up IP67-sealed sensors using a smartphone app - no cables, no tools, no opening the enclosure.

O

ONVIF

Interoperability standard for IP cameras and NVRs. Devices with matching profile certification work together regardless of brand or manufacturer.

OTAA (Over-the-Air Activation)

Recommended LoRaWAN activation where fresh encryption keys are generated each time a device joins. Keys rotate per session - more secure than ABP.

P

PoE (Power over Ethernet)

Delivers DC power over Ethernet. IP cameras need only one cable run. Check the switch's total power budget before planning large installations.

R

RS232 / RS485

Two serial wiring standards in industrial equipment. RS232 is point-to-point; RS485 supports 32 devices on one bus up to 1,200 metres.

RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)

Signal strength measurement in dBm - less negative means stronger. Always check alongside SNR to accurately diagnose LoRaWAN coverage problems.

S

SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable)

Hot-swappable module defining a switch port's connection type. Swap between copper Gigabit Ethernet and single-mode fibre up to 100 km without tools.

Spreading Factor (SF)

LoRaWAN parameter trading transmission speed for range. Higher SF means longer range but 44x more channel airtime - managed automatically by ADR.

U

Unmanaged Switch

Plug-and-play switch with zero configuration. Suited only for simple trusted networks - no VLANs, ring redundancy, or traffic monitoring available.

V

VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)

Splits one physical switch into isolated logical networks. Keeps IoT sensor, SCADA, and camera traffic separate on shared hardware without extra cabling.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Encrypted tunnel over the internet connecting remote sites as one private network. IPsec for legacy SCADA; WireGuard for new deployments.