Evaluation of routing protocol for low power and Lossy Networks: LOADng and RPL

Routing protocol is a critical component of Low-power and Lossy Networks for Smart Grid. The protocols are used for data forwarding, which includes data acquisition, information dissemination, etc. This paper evaluates two main routing protocols used for Low-power and Lossy Networks: RPL and LOADng, to understand their strengths and limitations. Observations are provided based on analysis of specification and experimental experience, regarding the protocol´s routing overhead, traffic pattern, resource requirement, fragmentation, etc. Simulations are further launched to study the performance in different traffic patterns, which include sensor-to-sensor traffic, sensor-to-root traffic and root-to-sensor bidirectional traffic. By evaluating those protocols, the readers could have better understanding of the protocol applicability, and choose the appropriate protocol for desired applications.