The Integration of WoT and Edge Computing: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

The Web of Things is an improvement on the Internet of Things (IoT) that incorporates smart objects into both the web architecture (application) and the internet (network). WoT applications are inescapable in residential homes and communities. The intent behind WoT applications is to increase sustainable development for reducing resource consumption. The Web of Things (WoT) aims to create a decentralized Internet of Things. Edge computing addresses IoT computing demands by reducing the escalation in resource congestion situations. In edge computing data is placed closed to the end users which diverts computation load from the centralized data centers. Furthermore, the dispersed structure balances network traffic and minimizes traffic peaks in IoT networks. Therefore, resulting in reducing transmission delays between edge servers and end users which improves response times for real-time WoT applications. Low battery supply to nodes with enough power resources can increase the lifespan of the individual nodes by moving processing and communication overhead from the nodes. This paper integrates WoT and edge computing and compares their functionalities. In addition, it demonstrates how edge computing enhances WoT performance and concentrates on transmission, storage, and computation aspects. Furthermore, for performance evaluation it categorizes edge computing based on different architectures. Moreover, the challenges of Web of Things and edge computing have been discussed in terms of bandwidth, latency, energy, and cost. Finally, advantages of the Web of Things and edge computing have been discussed.