Abstract
Internet of Mobile Things (IoMT) is a new paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT) where devices are inherently mobile. While mobility enables innovative applications and allows new services, it remains a challenging issue as it causes disconnection of nodes and intermittent connectivity, which negatively impacts the network operation and performance. In addition, energy saving presents a real challenge for networks with limited resources. In this context, a new energy efficient and mobility aware routing protocol called EMA-RPL is proposed based on the well-known Routing Protocol for Low power and Lossy Networks (the RPL standard). Unlike the RPL which is basically designed for static devices, EMA-RPL enables better sustaining of connectivity of mobile nodes and conserving energy. The proposed protocol integrates an enhanced mobility detection method through a continuous control of the distance between the mobile node and its attachment, a novel point of attachment prediction based on the new location of the mobile node, and an efficient replacement strategy preserving the mobile node energy. EMA-RPL overcomes and mitigates problems caused by the mobility of nodes. Simulations using Cooja/Contiki show that EMA-RPL outperforms both the RPL and its mobility aware variant (MRPL) in terms of handover delay, data loss rate, signaling cost and energy consumption. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.