More than 50 billion devices are estimated to be
connected to the Internet by 2020. Incompatibility of devices and
protocols (usually proprietary devices and protocols) are one of
the major hurdles to be overcome to realise the Internet of Things
(IoT) vision. IoT devices are typically constrained devices and
this creates dependencies between the hardware, software and
protocols used in the device. Open hardware and software platforms
to support emerging IoT trends are required. A wireless
sensor network gateway was developed in a three-month period
using off-the-shelf components. The gateway was based on the
Raspberry PI single-board computer; it implemented 6LoWPAN
mesh and wireless access point functionality for mobile and low
power sensing and actuation devices. The gateway was tested in
the following use-case: integrate a battery-operated 6LoWPANenabled
smart water meter to an IPv6 building network. Several
factors that influence the gateway’s performance and reliability
were identified and should be considered when deploying gateway
devices for future endeavours.