Get smarter about the many

benefits of P2P IoT

Learn when to choose P2P IoT over other solutions
and how P2P IoT will strengthen your product

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Learn about P2P IoT solutions
Are you planning on getting an IoT solution so you or your end-users
can manage the devices via the Internet? You are not alone. Today, the
range of IoT enabled devices is growing more than ever. The important
thing is to figure out what kind of connection type you need to manage
the devices in a way most optimal.

A revolutionary way of connecting to IoT devices!

This paper will take you through the features, possibilities and
consequences of P2P-based IoT, so you can get smarter on how or if
this is the best solution for you.

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 Content

4 What is P2P IoT and how does it

differ from other solutions?

7 Why low latency is important

for user experience

9 Why P2P IoT protects end-

users’ privacy and GDPR

11 Why P2P IoT solutions are

simpler to develop and manage

12 Why P2P IoT is more cost-efficient

than other IoT technologies

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What is P2P IoT and how does
it differ from other solutions?

What is P2P-based IoT?

P2P-based IoT is a smart solution for your IoT device that
provides a full communication infrastructure. It enables a real-
time, direct and secure low-latency connection, where data is
shared between an end-user client device (smartphone, tablet
or PC) and an IoT device (surveillance cameras, thermostat or
heating controls, alarm systems, 3D printers etc.).

How does P2P differ from other IoT solutions?

Another often mentioned approach for IoT connections is
database-driven IoT. In database-driven IoT, data travels to a
centralized server that stores and processes the data in a cloud
database, i.e. the connection between the client device and the
IoT device indirectly uses a server. All the data is kept at the
server, both data from the IoT device and commands issued
by the client device. Data from other clients and devices of
a similar kind from the same manufacturer is likewise stored
centrally in this database.

CLIENT DEVICE
COMMAND RESPONSE

SERVER DATABASE

Database-driven IoT connection where all data travels to a centralized

server that stores and processes the data in a cloud database.

CLIENT COMMAND

DEVICE RESPONSE

SECURE DIRECT
P2P CONNECTION

P2P IoT connection where data is shared directly between end-user client
and IoT device through a f ast and secure connection.

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P2P-based IoT differs from this approach, as mentioned above,
by sharing data directly between the client device and the IoT
device and not via a cloud database. The only use of a database
server in a P2P solution is to create a direct connection. Once
this is established, the communication is handed over to the
client device and the IoT device and the server is no longer
involved. This means that all data is stored directly on the IoT
device and can be collected directly from the connected client
device.

Low latency, high privacy, developer-friendly and cost-efficient

In a P2P solution, client devices connect with IoT devices
without any hassle and can communicate any content ranging
from simple temperature data to fully fledged audio/video
streaming feeds. This is done with a minimum of latency and
with secure technology that ensures the privacy of the data.
This is possible because the data is only shared between the
end-user client device and the IoT device - and is encrypted in
transit.

Therefore in P2P IoT, the end-user is in full control of the data as

opposed to database-driven IoT in which the end-user doesn’t
control who accesses the data on the database and in the event
of a breach, a serious amount of end-user data points risks
being exposed. Furthermore, P2P IoT are simple to develop and
manage, and is a more cost-efficient solution than a database-
driven solution.

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 The main reasons to evaluate if a P2P IoT solution
is right for you involves the relevance of following
facts about P2P IoT:

Low latency communication A cost-efficient solution

maximizes the usability makes the IoT device more
competitive

High Privacy for the end- Developer-friendly solution

user, which increases which lowers time-to-market
end-user confidence and and decreases maintenance
willingness to invest in an and development costs
IoT-enabled device, but also
decreases risk for the IoT
device vendor

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Low Latency

Why low latency is important

for user experience
Nobody likes to wait - this is especially true when you are
pushing buttons in a user interface. Delays of more than 0.1
seconds can make device users feel like their actions are having
no effect when they click on something. It is only a fraction of a
second, but vital to user experience in the online world.

As the number of IoT devices around the world is growing fast, it

is now more important than ever for both users and companies
to consider the implications of their device connections, which
can have a huge impact on latency.

Direct connections means very low latency

Thanks to the direct connection between the end-user client and
the IoT device, latency is very low in P2P-based IoT solutions. In
contrast, latency in many database-driven IoT solutions is often
more than five seconds. It makes sense, as going from A to B
will always be faster than going from A to B to C, so P2P is the
best choice for those needing a lightning-fast connection.

A B
DIRECT P2P CONNECTION

B
A C
DATABASE-DRIVEN CONNECTION

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 Low Latency

Delays of more than 0.1

seconds can make users
feel like their actions are
not having any effect.

This is especially so for devices like cameras that need to be

able to transfer large amounts of data. So, if you, for example,
have a security system, you want to get notified as soon as
the alarm goes off - for example, if someone breaks into your
house.

Low latency is also important the other way around, from the
client to the device. An example could be if you want to unlock
a door lock via your smartphone - then you want the lock to
open as soon as you click the button and not several seconds
after.

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 High Privacy

Why P2P IoT protects end-users’

privacy and GDPR
Another important field to consider is user privacy and security.
This is often mentioned when talking about IoT and with good
reason. With more connected devices comes more security
problems and cyber threats, and security of devices needs to
be strengthened to prevent hackers from accessing sensitive
information.

Devices may be becoming more widespread but, generally

speaking, there are few improvements when it comes to security.
Default passwords and weak security systems are simply not
good enough when it comes to devices that collect countless
user data points. IoT devices have the ability to capture many
data points about users and it is this fact that makes their
hackability all the more worrying.

In P2P data remains under

the user’s control unlike
data stored in the cloud.

Privacy on terms of the user

There is not one single way to protect your data when it comes
to IoT - but a perfect place to start is to look at the type of
connection. In a P2P connection, the privacy level is governed

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High Privacy

by the user. Data remains under the user’s control unlike data
stored in the cloud. The data between the end-user client and
IoT device is transmitted directly with end-to-end encryption
- contrary to database-driven IoT where data is stored in the
cloud (potentially even unencrypted) with no ability for the
user to control who can access it. This means, there is a third-
party involved in database-driven IoT, who can monitor user
actions, device activity and personal information. This raises
the questions of privacy, and users need to be aware of the
inherent privacy issues in this type of server connection.

P2P SOLUTION

END-TO-END ENCRYPTION

DATABASE-DRIVEN SOLUTION

ENCRYPTION NO ENCRYPTION ENCRYPTION

P2P and GDPR

The privacy offered by P2P IoT also makes it easier to comply
with the European Union’s GDPR legislation (General Data
Protection Regulation), which includes provisions for data that
is collected, stored, and shared via IoT devices. With no P2P IoT
data stored on the vendor’s servers, so GDPR compliance is by
design.

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 Developer-friendly

Why P2P IoT solutions are

simpler to develop and manage
In traditional server-based IoT solutions, the server-based
application is a central and complex component in your solution
architecture. Your business logic becomes scattered across
the three tiers - client, central server, and IoT device. Often,
the central server application is not even written as a regular
application but consists of e.g. proprietary rule definitions and
configuration data specific for the chosen platform.

No critical server-side
business logic, just
connection mediation taken
care of by the P2P platform.

With P2P IoT you only have two tiers to worry about: The
client application and the IoT device application. The central
services are reduced to a mere mediator that sets up the direct
connection between client and device. No critical server-side
business logic, just connection mediation taken care of by
the P2P platform. This greatly reduces complexity and allows
you to develop applications using the traditional client/server
paradigm with the IoT device as the server application.

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 Cost-efficient

Why P2P IoT is more

cost-efficient than other
IoT technologies
In the early days of IoT, expectations were high concerning
new revenue streams for device vendors. Everybody expected
that end-users would be willing to pay premium monthly
subscriptions to be able to browse data and issue commands
to their now IoT-enabled devices. Unfortunately, this didn’t
happen. Very few users were or are willing to pay for such
subscriptions and instead, today, end-users expect all the
promises of IoT remote control but as a feature that is within
the retail price of the product.

Hosting data in the cloud - as well as transferring data up or

down - is expensive business, as is the case in database-driven
IoT solutions. Data not only has to be hosted online, but also
the data needs to be redundant (on more simultaneous running
servers) for requirements of high availability. The data needs
to be backed up and all the servers have to be updated, with
the newest patches and tight regulation on how all this can be
accomplished having to be constantly maintained in order to
meet the GDPR requirements.

Hosting data in the cloud is

expensive - but with P2P no
data is stored in the cloud.

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Cost-efficient

Reuse existing infrastructure to optimize costs

In P2P IoT, the user does not need this data flow to the cloud.
In fact, only a fraction of data is mediated in order to create
a connection between the client device and the IoT device.
When the connection has been established, the computation
power and network traffic resources used are owned by the
end-users and thus the cost is paid by the end-user. The end-
user normally doesn’t have any problems with this as the
computation cost is the electricity used on the IoT device and
the network traffic costs are normally part of the end-users
internet connection.

Hybrid solutions to cover all needs

The great thing is that the vendor can still create hybrid solutions
that for some end-users to store data in a database-based IoT
solution, end-users that are willing to pay a subscription for
extra granularity on the data and even more data capacity than
that which is available on the IoT device. End-users that are not
willing to pay can just use the basic features of P2P IoT access
and control.

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Try the Nabto platform for free!
Do you want to try the Nabto platform to see if direct P2P communication is
the right solution for you? Click below to try our technology free of charge
through the Nabto Cloud Console:

Click here to try Nabto for free - no credit card required

The Cloud Console enables you to administrate your Nabto solution. You can
create up to three free device licenses for research and development. To learn
about creating your first Nabto solution, you can find variuos tutorials here.

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