EVALUATING RELIABILITY OF COMMUNICATION IN IOT BASED WATER MONITORING USING ESP32
Keywords:
Internet of Things (IoT) Communication, Latency, Throughput, Packet loss, Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) ProtocolAbstract
In IoT-based technology solutions, there exist several tools for establishing connection with sensors and maintaining the flow of data between them. One of the commonly used solutions in IoT systems for sending and receiving data between connected devices is the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). This communication protocol features a lightweight data transfer mechanism and can be used by the devices with low processing power and memory. In this paper, we propose an experimental model of an IoT-built water monitoring network based on ESP32 module to conduct an evaluation of reliability and communication properties of the MQTT communication protocol at different transmission rates. In this system, an ultrasonic sensor is incorporated into the ESP32-based device for collecting information about the level of water and its subsequent transfer via the MQTT communication protocol. The evaluation of the system will be conducted based on several parameters, such as average delay, availability, average throughput, average packet loss ratio (PLR), average packet delivery ratio (PDR), and sensor reliability. Several transmission rates will be considered in order to evaluate their influence on communication process and system reliability. According to the experimental results, higher transmission rates increase throughput, and packet loss ratio but decrease latency, packet delivery, availability, and accuracy of measurements. At the lowest transmission rate, the system achieves 99% availability and maintains packet delivery with low packet loss.
References
L. González, A. Gonzales, S. Gonzalez Martinez, and A. Cartuche, “A Low-Cost IoT Architecture
Based on LPWAN and MQTT for Monitoring Water Resources in Andean Wetlands,” SN Computer
Science, vol. 5, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s42979-023-02515-4.
J. J. Puthiyidam and S. Joseph, “Internet of Things Network Performance: Impact of Message
and Client sizes and Reliability Levels,” ECTI Transactions on Electrical Engineering, Electronics,
and Communications, 2024, doi: 10.37936/ecti-eec.2024221.252941.
Vol 3 | Issue 4 | 2026 | Journal of Kyzylorda Scholarly Review
C. Campolo, G. Genovese, G. Singh, and A. Molinaro, “Scalable and interoperable edge-based
federated learning in IoT contexts,” Computer Networks, vol. 223, 2023, Art. 109576, doi:
1016/j.comnet.2023.109576.
G. Patti, L. Leonardi, G. Testa, and L. Lo Bello, “PrioMQTT: A prioritized version of the MQTT
protocol,” Computer Communications, vol. 220, pp. 43–51, 2024, doi:
1016/j.comcom.2024.03.018.
O. Şeker, G. Dalkılıç, and U. C. Çabuk, “MARAS: Mutual Authentication and Role-Based
Authorization Scheme for Lightweight Internet of Things Applications,” Sensors, vol. 23, no. 12,
, Art. 5674, doi: 10.3390/s23125674..
B. Mishra, B. Mishra, and A. Kertesz, “Stress-testing MQTT brokers: a comparative analysis of
performance measurements,” Energies, vol. 14, no. 18, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.3390/en14185817.
E. Bertrand-Martinez, P. Dias Feio, V. de Brito Nascimento, F. Kon, and A. Abelém, “Classification
and evaluation of IoT brokers: a methodology,” International Journal of Network Management,
vol. 31, no. 3, May 2021, doi: 10.1002/nem.2115.
A. A. Author, B. B. Author, and C. C. Author, “Securing the IoT application layer from an MQTT
protocol perspective: Challenges and research prospects,” IEEE Communications Surveys &
Tutorials, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 2510–2546, 2024, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2024.3372630.
G. Pettorru and M. Martalo, “A Persistent and Secure Publish-Subscriber Architecture for LowLatency IoT Communications,” IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, vol. 23,
pp. 729–739, 2025, doi: 10.1109/TNSM.2025.3635212.
A. Malhi, A. Javed, N. Yousefnezhad, and K. Främling, “IoT open messaging standards:
Performance comparison with MQTT and CoAP protocols,” in 2023 10th International Conference
on Future Internet of Things and Cloud (FiCloud), Aug. 2023, pp. 130–135, doi:
1109/FiCloud58648.2023.00027.
G. Rekha and T. Sudha, “Digital forensic in IoT paradigm: Blockchain assisted digital forensic
framework with improved cryptosystem,” Intelligent Decision Technologies, vol. 19, no. 5, pp.
–3592, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1177/18724981241305872.
L. M. C. P. L. de Freitas, M. Silva, G. Vale, C. Avram, H. Lopes, F. Pereira, N. Leal, and J.
Machado, “OPC UA and MQTT performance analysis within a unified namespace context,”
Internet of Things, vol. 33, p. 101734, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.iot.2025.101734.
S. Jeddou, F. Fernández, L. Diez, A. Baina, N. Abdallah, and R. Agüero, “Delay and energy
consumption of MQTT over QUIC: an empirical characterization using commercial-off-the-shelf
devices,” Sensors, vol. 22, no. 10, May 2022, doi: 10.3390/s22103694.
A. Gavrilov, M. Bergaliyev, S. Tinyakov, K. Krinkin, and P. Popov, “Using IoT protocols in real-time
systems: protocol analysis and evaluation of data transmission characteristics,” Journal of
Computer Networks and Communications, vol. 2022, pp. 1–18, Aug. 2022, doi:
1155/2022/7368691.
R. S. S. Singh et al., “A scalable MQTT-based edge IoT architecture for real-time distributed solar
PV panel monitoring,” Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 2026.
X. Hu, J. Li, Y. He, and Y. Wang, “Research and implementation of lightweight security solutions
for IoT MQTT protocol,” in Proc. 2025 IEEE 7th International Conference on Communications,
Information System and Computer Engineering (CISCE), Guangzhou, China, May 2025, pp. 1166–
, doi: 10.1109/CISCE65916.2025.11065441.
D. Diono, M. S. Gozali, and H. T. Guntoro, “IoT implementation in water level monitoring system
using ESP32 and Antares platform,” Jurnal Integrasi, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 18–24, Apr. 2026, doi:
30871/ji.v18i1.12814.
A. Balamanikandan, T. Natuva, M. V. Shaik, M. K. Thippirisetti, V. K. Atte, and M. Sukanya,
“Latency and throughput benchmarking of IoT protocols on ESP32 microcontrollers,” in Proc.
IEEE 6th Global Conf. Advancement in Technology (GCAT), 2025, doi:
1109/GCAT66372.2025.11368454.
R. S. S. Singh et al., “A scalable MQTT-based edge IoT architecture for real-time distributed solar
PV panel monitoring,” Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 2026.
Vol 3 | Issue 4 | 2026 | Journal of Kyzylorda Scholarly Review
E. B. Utomo and N. Izzaturrahmani, “Temperature and humidity monitoring system using NodeRED based on MQTT protocol,” Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer, vol. 7, no. 1, pp.
–48, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.33650/jeecom.v7i1.10658..
D. Torres, J. P. Dias, A. Restivo, and H. S. Ferreira, “Real-time feedback in Node-RED for IoT
development: an empirical study,” in 2020 IEEE/ACM 24th International Symposium on
Distributed Simulation and Real Time Applications (DS-RT), Sep. 2020,
pp. 1–8, doi: 10.1109/DS-RT50469.2020.9213544.
E. B. Utomo and N. Izzaturrahmani, “Temperature and humidity monitoring system using NodeRED based on MQTT protocol,” Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer, vol. 7, no. 1, pp.
–48, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.33650/jeecom.v7i1.10658.
A. A. Zulfikri, D. Perdana, and G. Bisono, “Design and analysis of trash monitoring system
prototype based on internet of things (IoT) using MQTT protocol,” Jurnal Infotel, vol. 10, no. 3,
Aug. 2018, doi: 10.20895/infotel.v10i3.381.
A. Mamane, M. Fattah, M. El Ghazi, M. El Bekkali, Y. Balboul, and S. Mazer, “Scheduling
algorithms for 5G networks and beyond: classification and survey,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp.
–51661, 2022, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3174579.
S. Kaganurmath and N. Cholli, “Enabling robust security in MQTT-based IoT networks with
dynamic resource-aware key sharing,” Procedia Computer Science, vol. 252, pp. 633–642, 2025,
doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2025.01.023.
D. Diono, M. S. Gozali, and H. T. Guntoro, “IoT implementation in water level monitoring system
using ESP32 and Antares platform,” Jurnal Integrasi, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 18–24, Apr. 2026, doi:
30871/ji.v18i1.12814.
M. F. Khan, E. A. Felemban, S. Qaisar, and S. Ali, “Performance analysis on packet delivery ratio
and end-to-end delay of different network topologies in wireless sensor networks (WSNs),” in
IEEE 9th International Conference on Mobile Ad-hoc and Sensor Networks, Dec. 2013, pp.
–329, doi: 10.1109/MSN.2013.74.
R. L. Singgeta, L. Rompis, and I. R. Honandar, “Design and implementation of an IoT-based AWD
irrigation monitoring prototype for a rice field in Minahasa, Indonesia,” ITEGAM-JETIA, vol. 11,
no. 56, pp. 351–359, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.5935/jetia.v11i56.2886.
N. R. Kumar, R. B. Krishnan, S. Vairavasundaram, G. Manikandan, I. V. Indragandhi, and L. Ravi,
“An IoT based remote medical diagnosis system using one time pad cipher over MQTT protocol,”
Scientific Reports, vol. 15, p. 42117, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-26208-5.
F. Nopriandy, S. Suhendra, L. D. Anjiu, and B. Setiawan, “Performance testing of the water level
monitoring system at Internet of Things-based water gates,” TURBO: Jurnal Program Studi
Teknik Mesin, vol. 15, no. 2, 2026, doi: 10.24127/trb.v15i2.4784.
M. M. Jasim and A. M. Saed, “A study of the performance WSN in hospitals for patient
monitoring,” AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 3264, 020017, 2025, doi: 10.1063/5.0259422.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CC BY
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
