IoT2Vec: Identification of Similar IoT Devices via Activity Footprints

TL;DR

This paper introduces IoT2Vec, a method that generates device embeddings from activity footprints to identify and find similar IoT devices, aiding in device recognition and replacement in smart environments.

Contribution

It proposes a novel application of Word2Vec to create IoT device embeddings based on activity data, enabling device identification and similarity detection.

Findings

Embeddings successfully distinguish different IoT device types.

Method demonstrates feasibility on CASAS dataset for device pattern recognition.

Potential applications in device management and replacement strategies.

Abstract

We consider a smart home or smart office environment with a number of IoT devices connected and passing data between one another. The footprints of the data transferred can provide valuable information about the devices, which can be used to (a) identify the IoT devices and (b) in case of failure, to identify the correct replacements for these devices. In this paper, we generate the embeddings for IoT devices in a smart home using Word2Vec, and explore the possibility of having a similar concept for IoT devices, aka IoT2Vec. These embeddings can be used in a number of ways, such as to find similar devices in an IoT device store, or as a signature of each type of IoT device. We show results of a feasibility study on the CASAS dataset of IoT device activity logs, using our method to identify the patterns in embeddings of various types of IoT devices in a household.