6LoWPAN Technology
6LoWPAN. Rolls off the tongue like gravel. It means "IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks". Fancy words for “we’re trying to cram full-blown internet protocol into battery-powered radio toys.” Not always clean. Not always fast. But if you want real IP over lossy radio links, this is your monster.
Vendor and URL
This chunk of protocol stack comes courtesy of:
Main vendor: IETF (the standards nerds, not a company)
Official docs: https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/6lowpan/
If the link’s dead – congrats, you’ve discovered the void where RFCs live and die.
Technical Public Documentation
You want docs? You get RFCs. Cold, rigid, unforgiving RFCs.
Full spec: RFC 4944 (plus a bunch of others)
GitHub repo: Contiki implementation
Warning: reading this will make your brain sweat.
Overview
It’s about making IPv6 work over IEEE 802.15.4 radios. Not made for speed. Made for structured networking where you can ping your door sensor like it's a real internet citizen. Works best when no one’s in a hurry and nothing is on fire.
Architecture
You’ve got nodes, routers, and maybe a gateway to the real internet. Mesh topologies are common. You can build a little subnet of sad, underpowered devices, all talking IP like they matter. It’s like a LAN party for microcontrollers.
Device Roles
Devices can be full-function or reduced-function. Routers forward packets, end devices mostly listen and nap. Border Routers are the VIPs – they connect this circus to the rest of the IPv6 universe. Everyone else just forwards or drops packets and hopes for the best.
Channelization
Runs on 802.15.4, mostly in the 2.4 GHz range. Same space as Zigbee, so interference is a bonus feature. Channels are fixed. Packet sizes are sad. Fragments are real. And Wi-Fi will gladly stomp all over you.
Frames
Frames get chopped down into tiny 127-byte chunks. 6LoWPAN adds its own headers to squeeze IPv6 in. Compression is key. If you like headers, this is not your world. Expect weird fragmentation and reassembly gymnastics.
Networking
This one does real IP. Like, actual IPv6. So you get addresses, routing, ping, ICMP, neighbor discovery – sort of. Most of the real-world deployments use RPL (Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks). Spoiler: it’s as stable as a ladder on ice.
Security
802.15.4 defines link-layer encryption. 6LoWPAN can ride on top with IPsec if you hate yourself. Reality? Most devices skip the heavy stuff and hope nobody’s listening. Security exists, but it’s up to the implementation – and that’s a mixed bag.
Networking Process
Boot up. Configure your stack. Maybe DHCPv6. Maybe static. Maybe SLAAC if you're lucky. Then join the mesh, route some packets, drop some others, and hope your parents are proud. It’s IPv6, but like through a bendy straw.
Use Cases
You’ll find it in industrial sensors, home automation, military projects that never made it out of beta, and research labs. Also in OS stacks like Contiki, RIOT, and Zephyr – for people who want to suffer elegantly. Still niche. Still alive. Still misunderstood.