Mobile-Edge Computing Come Home! Connecting things in future smart homes using LTE device-to-device communications

Future 5G cellular networks are expected to play a major role in supporting the Internet of Things (IoT) due to their ubiquitous coverage, plug-and-play configuration, and embedded security. Besides connectivity, however, the IoT will need computation and storage in proximity of sensors and actuators to support timecritical and opportunistic applications. Mobile-edge computing (MEC) is currently under standardization as a novel paradigm expected to enrich future broadband communication networks [1], [2]. With MEC, traditional networks will be empowered by placing cloud-computing-like capabilities within the radio access network, in an MEC server located in close proximity to end users. Such distributed computing and storage infrastructure will enable the deployment of applications and services at the edge of the network, allowing operators to offer a virtualized environment to enterprise customers and industries to implement applications and services close to end users. © 2012 IEEE.