Blockchain Technology for IoT and Wireless CommunicationsEdition 1

Smart communications are the concept in which smart appliances and devices are integrated into an application that runs in a smart hand-held device. The residents of a smart home can have complete control over their home’s electronic gadgets using wireless communications. These technologies can help people control gadgets in the home/office remotely and often simultaneously, which increases convenience and reduces time spent on these tasks. However, problems can arise in the security systems associated with these smart devices; security may be compromised when there are loopholes or human mistakes. When security credentials are lost, overall security can also be lost. This is because smart technology is made up of plenty of devices that are integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the cloud. This environment can introduce many security issues, as discussed in this text. Blockchain is a promising technology that operates in a decentralized environment to protect devices and the data collected by devices from security and privacy issues by using wireless communication technology. Blockchain-enabled IoT can be used to achieve end-to-end security. Blockchain technology is already used in wireless sensor/communication networks to estimate and predict house data and civil structures.

IoT-integrated innovative applications like smart homes present unique security and privacy challenges. Scalability is the main problem as the current centralized IoT platforms have message routing mechanisms that create a bottleneck in scaling up too many devices used in IoT. As many devices are participating in generating data, such a setup may also be subjected to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Lack of data standards is another cause of concern as it leads to interoperability problems. Blockchain technology for IoT and wireless communications offers a promising solution for smart devices. These technologies can provide end-to-end security and overcome the aforementioned problems. The usage of open-standard distributed IoT solutions can solve many problems that are associated with centralized approaches. Blockchain technology is nothing but a distributed ledger of transactions. It offers direct communication to connected devices. Such devices collect data, and all legitimate participants can access said data. Thus, decentralized blockchain networks can provide improved security for IoT-based solutions.