Foreword
You are holding (or perhaps reading online or in an e-book) a remarkable volume. I have been a proponent of IPv6 and an enthusiastic adopter of sensor networks for some time. I am using a commercially available 6LoWPAN system to monitor my home and especially the wine cellar. You may imagine my positive reaction to the book you are reading now. It is stunningly thorough and takes readers meticulously through the design, configuration and operation of IPv6-based, low-power, potentially mobile radio-based networking.
In reading through this book, I was struck also by the thoughtful framing of issues that reach beyond the specifics of 6LoWPAN and go to the heart of many aspects of Internet protocol design. For example, general problems, such as packet fragmentation, are explained in the context of the standard Internet protocols and then, more particularly, in the context of 6LoWPAN. This technique helps to place issues into broader contexts and takes advantage of knowledge that readers may have already of the Internet Architecture.
Sensor network utility seems to me indisputable and consequently, this book has wideranging implications for anyone thinking about the proliferation of sensor networks, the need for significant address space to support them, and their integration into the present IPv4 Internet and the future IPv6 Internet. The special requirements imposed by battery-powered operation, radio-based communication and potentially mobile operation motivate the need ...
