A Blockchain-based Control and Communication System for Multilevel IoT Networks

Internet of Things (IoT) networks are an emerging technology with growing applications in industry and the supply chain. However, many IoT systems suffer from the need for centralised back-end infrastructure for data storage and transmission, which introduces a single point of failure and increases costs. Blockchain technology has recently been proposed as a potential solution to these problems, yet existing approaches struggle to combine centralised command and control with a distributed blockchain such that confidentiality, integrity and availability are mutually satisfied. We present a multi-level IoT (MIOT) system that uses a hybrid approach to satisfy these requirements and allows efficient permissioning of IoT network devices using blockchain-based digital certificates. Our approach mitigates single points of failure that exist in alternative solutions and provides the ability for asynchronous communications between IoT nodes to cater for low-powered devices.