2. IPv6, a unifying protocol

Sensor networks are a natural component of the Internet of Things. As such, the IP protocol is the federating element that conditions the massive deployment of machine-to-machine communication services.

And version 6 of the IP protocol ( ) is undoubtedly the keystone.

The IPv6 protocol was designed in the mid-1990s to meet two needs:

• improve traffic routing times on the Internet ;

• better control the growth of routing tables maintained by Internet routers.

The response to the first need was to...