MPIGate: A Solution to Use Heterogeneous Networks for Assisted Living Applications

Existing sensors and actuators, that can be used in an AAL (ambient assisting living) environment, work on heterogeneous network protocols, e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, EIB/KNX and Zigbee. For a given sensor/actuator, the choice of its underlying communication protocol is optimized according to its bandwidth and/or energy needs. However, integrating sensors/actuators of heterogeneous network protocols into an AAL system arises interoperability problems. In this paper, we present MPIGate, a multi-protocol gateway and interface for assisted living applications. Besides its multiple communication drivers for supporting the different protocols, MPIGate also proposes a database for storing the last updated sensor data as well as an user interface for both transparent data access and easy application development. MPIGate has been deployed in a smart home technical test bed at our LORIA labs. We presents some first results and discuss the lessons learnt.