Abstract
In this paper, we present a work based on the computational load distribution among the homogeneous nodes and the Hub/Sink of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). The main contribution of the paper is an early decision support framework helping WSN designers to take decisions about computational load distribution for those WSNs where power consumption is a key issue (when we refer to “framework” in this work, we are considering it as a support tool to make decisions where the executive judgment can be included along with the set of mathematical tools of the WSN designer; this work shows the need to include the load distribution as an integral component of the WSN system for making early decisions regarding energy consumption). The framework takes advantage of the idea that balancing sensors nodes and Hub/Sink computational load can lead to improved energy consumption for the whole or at least the battery-powered nodes of the WSN. The approach is not trivial and it takes into account related issues such as the required data distribution, nodes, and Hub/Sink connectivity and availability due to their connectivity features and duty-cycle. For a practical demonstration, the proposed framework is applied to an agriculture case study, a sector very relevant in our region. In this kind of rural context, distances, low costs due to vegetable selling prices and the lack of continuous power supplies may lead to viable or inviable sensing solutions for the farmers. The proposed framework systematize and facilitates WSN designers the required complex calculations taking into account the most relevant variables regarding power consumption, avoiding full/partial/prototype implementations, and measurements of different computational load distribution potential solutions for a specific WSN.
Highlights
The breakthrough in wireless communications and electronics has enabled the rapid growth of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)
Not all WSNs need an explicit hub/sink, but we have included this special node in the research work because it is part of many WSNs, especially those used in agriculture, where usually a LAN communication infrastructure does not exist and WAN communications are performed by the sink/gateway
The solution we propose makes available to WSN designers and solution implementers a framework for early decision support, whose central body is a set of formulas
Summary
The breakthrough in wireless communications and electronics has enabled the rapid growth of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In WSNs, nodes can be homogeneous or heterogeneous and a special node (usually referred as sink, hub or gateway in the literature, according to its capabilities) is added when the network needs to coordinate or communicate with outside networks [1]. Not all WSNs need an explicit hub/sink, but we have included this special node in the research work because it is part of many WSNs, especially those used in agriculture, where usually a LAN communication infrastructure does not exist and WAN communications are performed by the sink/gateway. Compared to the sensor nodes, this special node may have different hardware and software including different sleep-wake intervals. It may require different power constraints in relation to the sensor nodes
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