What is MQTT? Lightweight Messaging Protocol for IoT and Telemetry

What is MQTT?

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight communication protocol designed for devices with limited processing power, low bandwidth, and unstable network connections. The protocol uses a publish-subscribe model, making it particularly suitable for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, industrial automation, and other machine-to-machine (M2M) communication scenarios.

MQTT is optimized for fast and reliable data transfer in environments where efficiency, scalability, and reliability are essential.

How Does MQTT Work?

MQTT uses a broker (central server) that receives messages from publishers and forwards them to subscribers interested in specific topics.

Main components:

• Broker: Handles all messages (e.g., Mosquitto, HiveMQ)
• Publisher: Sends data to a specific topic (e.g., a temperature sensor)
• Subscriber: Subscribes to a topic and receives updates as they become available

Example:

A temperature sensor (publisher) sends data to the topic building/hall1/temperature. An application or dashboard (subscriber) automatically receives the data when there’s an update.

Why Choose MQTT?

• Low overhead
  The binary protocol is highly compact—ideal for low-capacity devices and slow connections.
• Scalability
  A single broker can manage thousands of devices and process millions of messages.
• Reliability
  Supports three quality of service (QoS) levels:
  o 0: At most once
  o 1: At least once
  o 2: Exactly once
• Security
  Supports TLS encryption, user authentication, and token-based access.
• Asynchronous communication
  Devices don’t need to be online simultaneously for message delivery.

Applications of MQTT

MQTT is widely used across sectors such as:

• IoT and smart industry
  Sensors, actuators, edge devices, and gateways communicate via MQTT.
• Energy and utilities
  Smart meters send usage data to central systems.
• Transport and logistics
  Vehicle data and location tracking via continuous MQTT connections.
• Healthcare
  Remote monitoring of patients or medical equipment.
• Building automation
  Integration with HVAC, lighting, and access control systems.

MQTT Combined with Thingsdata Solutions

MQTT is frequently used in combination with:

• Cellular routers (e.g., Teltonika or Peplink) that transmit data over MQTT
• Edge gateways that convert raw data into MQTT messages
• IoT connectivity via LTE-M or NB-IoT
• Cloud platforms that process MQTT data for visualization or automation

Alternatives and Comparison

More Information

Want to know how MQTT can be used in your IoT application or for data traffic in industrial environments? Thingsdata offers full support in setting up MQTT infrastructures—from edge devices and routers to cloud integration and APIs.

Contact us at +31 (0)85 0443500 or info@thingsdata.com, or explore our MQTT-compatible hardware and solutions in the Thingsdata webshop.