Securing the internet of things is about to become popular cocktail conversation. As your phone increasingly becomes the way we interact with the IOT – starting with NFC but quickly ramping to DASH7 – the opportunity to interact with our environment and with other people in novel ways is already sparking conversations along the lines of "Wow … now 'they' can find me anywhere."

Putting aside for a moment the fact that 'they' don't need DASH7 or the IOT to track you --- your credit cards, subway passes, in-room hotel movie history, GPS-enabled mobile phones, cookie-enabled browsers, supermarket loyalty card, and WiFi-enabled personal computers already provide plenty of theoretical and real opportunities for "them" to "track" you --- my conversations along these lines are more reminiscent of the conversations I had in the early- and mid-1990's with regard to the world wide web and the "dark" side of the internet. A new technology which most of us saw as so fundamentally disruptive that things would never be the same – and they haven't – created a sort of anxiety that was expressed in terms of what we would lose with this disruption. The dawn of the IOT is eliciting similar conversations that are less rooted in any "real" incremental loss of privacy and more based on a fear of the unknown and how the IOT could turn the world upside down, in perhaps both good and bad ways, as we've witnessed with the world wide web.

So a number of governments have taken on the issue of security and privacy for the IOT as a political issue. As an alliance we are just getting our feet wet in these conversations and have the benefit of a number of members with great relationships not to mention some deep knowledge of the issue. Our technical working group is doing some fine architecting as we speak on the issue and I am already very pleased with some of the thinking after only a few weeks of work. It already appears DASH7 will have a security and privacy story that will be unique and, I believe, unmatched among other IOT/WSN/RFID technologies.

Cheers,

Pat Burns
President

(Note: We are actively seeking members in the following places who are interested in hosting a DASH7 event: Mauritius, Fiji, and the Dominican Republic.)

NEW! DASH7 Low Level Reader Protocol Initiative

Most of the effort to-date within the alliance has centered on the ISO 18000-7 air protocol and related data elements like sensor data. But a missing element of the DASH7 story is the ability to ensure that all edge servers, controllers, and applications can speak to DASH7 devices using a common --- not custom –-- interface. As with other initiatives within the alliance, we are benchmarking similar efforts by other industry consortia including the EPC Global community.

But when you imagine the array of apps that are being/will be developed with DASH7, especially when you consider what opportunities smartphones will create, this effort is a must-have.

So this is a "heads up" that the alliance is about to embark on a new initiative with potentially large implications for industry. Next steps are to formally launch the working group (actually a subgroup within the technical working group) and to begin the mapping process between a standardized, low level reader protocol and the DASH7 standard. Ultimately, the result will be submitted early next year to ISO and we'll certify interoperability through the current DASH7 Certified™ process being used for hardware devices.

If you are interested in getting involved, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

LLRP will be working to make some big systems integration issues seem small...

DASH7 Security Working Group

Here is the draft mission statement for the security working group --- get involved! Crypto, privacy, software security … a rich array of challenges that DASH7 is uniquely able to solve.

The mission of the DASH7 Security Working Group (SWG) is to make the DASH7 protocol the most secure and private sensor networking technology on the planet. This mission will be accomplished without compromising on efficiency or flexibility required from customers across a broad range of DASH7 applications. Therefore, the SWG will define a framework with robust security and privacy protections that addresses vulnerabilities for private citizens, commercial entities, and public institutions. The SWG will also propose public and private key management options to enable a holistic approach to a total security and privacy solution.

The SWG proposal draft will be submitted to DASH7 Alliance members by October 2010 with the plan to send the final proposal to ISO in calendar Q1, 2011.

Also – if you missed last month’s security whitepaper, click here.

Member of the Month

On the heels of the announcement of the DASH7 Alliance Automotive Working Group, this month DASH7 Connect interviews Dr. Patrick King, Global Electronics Strategist for Michelin Corporation, on the opportunities for DASH7 in the automotive industry

You were involved in the standardization of EPC Gen2 as the passive RFID standard for automobiles. What parallels do you see between that process and the opportunity around active RFID and wireless sensor networks?
Michelin leadership within the passive community remains of international note. Just this year Michelin has been recognized by AIAG for Outstanding Achievement in 2010. The mission for supporting a single standard for tire and all of automotive remains a priority for Michelin. Please consider that in 2002 when the mission began there were about 12 standards for tire RFID and about 12 candidiates for TPMS. Today there is a single standard for passive RFID for Tire and frankly for all of Automotive but the status for TPMS is the same or worse. All of the benefits of having a single standard such as multiple suppliers and reduced costs are a reality today whereas TPMS remains principally proprietary.

What makes DASH7 a good fit for the automobile?
Most TMPS today is 433Mhz, not all but most. The idea that multiple vendors could collaborate alongside end users to create a harmonized standard is the opportunity that DASH7 could represent.

What are the biggest hurdles to DASH7 adoption in the automotive industry?
There really needs to be broader involvement. I will tell you that even though I am wildly enthusiastic I equally have concerns that the automotive "voice" has not been visible enough. I hope that the involvement of the AIAG, Odette and perhaps the entire JAIF can eliviate this shortcoming.

How does ISO matter to the auto industry?
I want to say "without exception" but the current condition within the industry for TPMS challenges this position from my view. Otherwise I could assure you that the answer is yes.

Can you give some hints as to how automobile tires will look in, say, 20 years?
Very easy to answer: just ask an end user in India ot China since they will represent over 50% of the market.

Otherwise electronics continues to dominate industry evolution and PLEASE NOTE that the new product cycle for electronics and the new product cycle for traditional automotive designs are not in sync. The successful company of the future will master this offset.

What is the real name of the Michelin Man and is it true that it has something to do with drinking beer?
Bibendum stands for "to imbibe" and was suggestive that the Michelin man could take on any and all road hazards. Beer may not be a traditional road hazard as much as perhaps drinly nails and glass or potholes.

1. Low Level Reader Protocol Working Group … coming soon
   
   
2. Security Working Group
   
   
3. Automotive Working Group

How to Join

For more info, contact Paul Ritchie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Formed in 2009, the DASH7 Alliance is a non-profit industry consortium with more than 50 participants that promotes the use of the ISO 18000-7 standard for wireless sensor networking. Device integrators, semiconductor vendors, systems integrators, academia, and end-users work together to bring DASH7 technology to many industries and applications.