Application of Secure and Energy-Efficient Data Access Solutions in Industrial IoT for Small-Scale Industry

Abstract

Data security in small-scale industries secures sensitive information against unauthorized access, ensuring smooth operations and avoiding costly disruptions. The main goal of this paper is to enhance security and authentication mechanisms in the small-scale industrial environment using the ESP32 microcontroller, which ensures better energy efficiency in the data acquisition system. It creates a self-sustaining Wi-Fi network with a Soft IP address to which the clients can connect for access. This ensures secured access without going through the global internet hence preventing any external attacks. The clients connect to this Wi-Fi network to open any web browser and access the ESP node, which will ask for a username, password, and authentication key for secure access. Once authenticated, the client can control devices, read sensor data, and statuses. Regarding energy consumption, ESP32 takes approximately 195 mA during transmissions through Wi-Fi and about 148 mA in idle mode. Using a battery type of 9V, its estimated battery lifetime is about 6.99 hours with active transmission and about 9.21 hours with it at idle mode, thus becoming appropriate for battery-powered deployments. It enhances security and efficiency, hence ideal for a small-scale industrial environment. Applications include secure industrial automation, local remote monitoring, and robust access control that ensures only authorized people can interact with sensitive equipment and data.