Low cost solutions to pairing issues in IEEE 802.15.4 networks

The last years have seen an important increase in the development and proliferation of wireless technologies. This success, mostly related to mobility and the relative ease with which wireless devices can be linked (no wires needed between parties), has affected consumer as well as industrial applications. There are however many areas that are still closed to the introduction of wireless systems. Among the factors that affect wireless acceptance, one can name security and the complexity often involved in setting up networks. Unlike wired systems, the extra confidence afforded by “seen wires” is not available in wireless systems, making it difficult for the users to know if communication occurs between legitimate parties. This places wireless technology before the need to introduce simple methods to improve the set up and authentication processes. These aspects are addressed by binding methods. It is our purpose in this document to present such solutions, and especially how they can be used in 802.15.4 based networks. We will mainly focus on solutions involving optical or RFID techniques. We will also suggest some improvements where needed