Summary

This article highlights how integrating the "Internet of Things" (IoT) with Nostr can create open, permissionless, and vendor-independent systems, paving the way for new applications, data privacy, and interoperability. From use cases to technical implementation, the article digs into the value of a new approach to IoT, the current progress in developing standards, and potential future directions.

IoT on Nostr: Unlocking Decentralisation for the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected devices that collect, exchange, and process data to enable smart technologies across various domains, from smart homes to industrial automation. Typically, IoT systems have relied on centralised infrastructure, often resulting in vendor lock-in, lack of interoperability, and privacy concerns. However, by utilising decentralised, permissionless protocols such as Nostr, IoT systems can be revolutionised to promote open access, permissionless innovation, and robust security models.

Why IoT on Nostr?

By working on IoT NIPs for the Nostr protocol we can integrate Nostr’s decentralised and interoperable framework into IoT networks. The goal is to standardise the protocol within the Nostr NIP (Nostr Implementation Possibilities) specification, create libraries, build clients, and demonstrate practical use cases.

At the core of the project is the idea that Nostr, as an open protocol, is well-suited to handle IoT’s needs, including data sharing, remote control, and event-based automation. By leveraging the Nostr protocol, devices can interact with users, other devices, relay-based payments, and other stuff.

The Case for IoT on Nostr

One of the key benefits of using Nostr for IoT is privacy. While Nostr itself isn't inherently private, additions to the spec (i.e. gift wrapping, double ratchet encryption and MLS ) could improve private, encrypted communication between IoT devices, ensuring that data is securely transmitted. In additional, by decentralising the infrastructure, users and businesses can avoid terms-of-service (ToS) restrictions imposed by centralised platforms.

IoT on Nostr in combination with permissionless use, a portable social graph, open data access, zaps, eCash and more provides a significant advantage for IoT. It removes vendor lock-in, improves open data access, and fosters interoperability between devices, relays, and clients. Nostr's permissionless nature allows anyone to build on top of the protocol without seeking approval from centralised authorities.

Existing NIPs and Standards

Several proposals are already in progress to bring IoT functionality to Nostr. Two key NIP pull requests (PRs) related to IoT are:

1. PR 814
2. PR 817

These PRs aim to define how IoT devices can publish and receive events within the Nostr protocol, ensuring standardised communication and integration across different platforms.

Work needs to be done on these or new PRs to define NIPs for IoT on Nostr. The work that needs to be done will be defined in a future post, but for now, it's enough to say, there's plenty to do.

Use Cases for IoT on Nostr

The applications for IoT on Nostr are numerous and span a variety of sectors:

• Data Capture:

  • Environmental monitoring, open data sharing, and private data capture can all be facilitated by IoT devices using Nostr to publish sensor data.

• Remote Control:

  • From home devices to industrial machinery, Nostr can allow remote control of IoT devices. Users could securely manage smart home systems or control machinery without relying on proprietary platforms.

• IFTTT-style Automation:

  • Devices can interact with each other via event-based automation. For instance, a temperature sensor could trigger a fan when a certain threshold is reached.

• Data Processing:

  • IoT systems can integrate with Distributed Virtual Machines (DVMs) for data processing, such as text-to-speech (TTS) or speech-to-text (STT) conversion, expanding their functionality to smart devices.

Next Steps

To bring this vision to life, several components are needed:

• NIP Proposals: Proof of concepts to test ideas and establish formal specifications.
• DVM Integration: Adding capabilities such as speech recognition or media requests through decentralized servers.
• Libraries and Clients: Expanding existing Nostr libraries to support IoT devices, and building visualization tools for IoT data (e.g., charts, tables).
• Relays and Bridges: Developing specialised relays for IoT data and creating bridges to other networks like LoRa or MQTT.

Conclusion

IoT on Nostr could represent a shift for the Internet of Things. By utilising an open, decentralised protocol, IoT systems can become more secure, interoperable, and free from the constraints of centralised vendors.