[lp-wan] Comments to the [lpwan] Overview re: Wi-SUN characteristics

[Charlie Perkins <[e-mail]>]

Hello folks,

I'd like to suggest some additional text to be included in the Wi-SUN 
overview section of the document.  I think it is important to emphasize 
the following characteristics.  These comments can be viewed as more or 
less the distillation of information described at longer length in our 
individual Internet Draft contribution submitted earlier about Wi-SUN.  
We have received many comments about that draft, and it needs to be 
significantly revised and resubmitted as soon as possible.  But the 
[lpwan] Overview document is in Last Call, and we don't have time to 
revise our individual draft before the end of Last Call.

Given a little more time after this busy week, I would also like to 
include a fuller description about the Wi-SUN mesh protocol choices.  If 
that is acceptable, I will provide text next week.

Regards,
Charlie P.
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-Coverage

The range of Wi-SUN FAN is typically 2~3 km in line of sight, matching 
the needs of neighborhood area networks, campus area networks, or 
corporate area networks. The range can also be extended via multi-hop 
networking.

- High bandwidth, low latency

Wi-SUN's relatively high bandwidth, i.e. up to 300 kbps [FANTPS], 
enables remote update and upgrade of devices so that they can handle new 
applications, extending their working life. Some IoT applications may 
require on-demand control, e.g. on-demand metering in AMI, device 
control in distribution automation. Wi-SUN supports these requirements 
by providing high bandwidth, low latency (0.02s) and bi-directional 
communication.

- Low power consumption

FAN devices draw less than 2 uA when resting and only 8 mA when 
listening [COM]. Such devices can maintain a long lifetime even if they 
are frequently listening. For instance, suppose the device transmits 
data for 10 ms once every 10 s; theoretically, a battery of 1000 mAh can 
last more than 10 years.

- Mesh topology

Wi-SUN FAN mesh networks offer self-forming and self-healing 
capabilities. When a new device is powered up, it can automatically 
discover communication peers. If the link is interrupted by obstacles, a 
device can switch to alternative redundant paths. The reliability of 
Wi-SUN has been proven for years in harsh and remote environments.

- Scalability

10s of millions Wi-SUN FAN devices have been deployed all over the 
world, including several deployments with more than 1 million devices 
[COM]. This demonstrates the scalability of Wi-SUN FAN in urban, 
suburban and rural environments.


The following references could be added in the LPWAN overview draft:

[COM] Wi-SUN Alliance, “Comparing IoT Networks at a Glance”, May 2017.

[FANTPS] Wi-SUN Alliance, "Technical Profile Specification Field Area 
Network", May 2016.

Figure.8 needs a column for Wi-SUN:

Another paragraph could be added regarding the Wi-SUN security solution, 
something along the following lines.

    Wi-SUN has made it a design goal to rely on industry standard
    security solutions instead of special-purpose or proprietary
    methods.  In this way, users and equipment vendors can have a high
    degree of confidence that their system will truly be secure. 
    Moreover it will be easier to provide secure interfaces to other
    system modules and components, which are more likely to support
    standard security protocols without special purpose coding.

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Regards,
Charlie P.