A few years ago, the IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-power and Lossy Networks (RPL) was proposed by IETF as the routing standard designed for classes of networks in which both nodes and their interconnects are constrained. Since then, great attention has been paid by the scientific and industrial communities for the protocol evaluation and improvement. Indeed, depending on applications scenarios, constraints related to the target environments or other requirements, many adaptations and improvements can be made. So, since the initial release of the standard, several implementations were proposed, some targeting specific optimization goals whereas others would optimize several criteria while building the routing topology. They include, but are not limited to, extending the network lifetime, maximizing throughput at the sink node, avoiding the less secured nodes, considering nodes or sink mobility. Sometimes, to consider the Quality of Service (QoS), it is necessary to consider several of those criteria at the same time. This paper reviews recent works on RPL and highlights major contributions to its improvement, especially those related to topology optimization, security and mobility. We aim to provide an insight into relevant efforts around the protocol, draw some lessons and give useful guidelines for future developments.
