Application of MQTT Network for Communication in Healthcare Establishment

Abstract

It is common to use TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) for data communication through PLC (Power Line Comunications). However, for IOT applications the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol has been used as an alternative to TCP / IP, as it is lighter, allows implementation on restricted hardware and works well on limited networks. In Brazilian Healthcare Establishments (HE), electrical installations often have maintenance and sizing issues, which can cause difficulties for PLC communication, mainly using TCP/IP. This work has implemented a MQTT network for PLC communication and performed tests on an HE to evaluate its functioning. The network was composed of two sensor modules and a server. The modules send information about the energy consumption of Medical-Hospital Equipment (MHE). The server displays graphics with the information arriving in real time and stores this information for later analysis. The tests resulted in the possibility of using the MQTT protocol for PLC communication in HE, even though the power grid is in unfavorable circumstances for this type of communication.