TCP/IP and ZigBee middleware

Abstract

The interconnection of distributed sensor nodes that is used to measure the sensor data in remote locations is called as Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Each of the sensors is interfaced with a microcontroller to form wireless sensor node. Different types of devices like PDA'S, laptops, television etc., are used in consumer electronics that use different software and protocols. There is no common communication protocol in order to glue all such heterogeneous devices and hence a middleware is required. Internet is prevailing among majority of users that uses TCP/IP stack for the communication. Among various other protocols of WSN ZigBee protocol is chosen to experiment. The middleware is to be designed to achieve inter stack communication between WSN and IP so as to enable the devices of both the networks communicate using a common communication protocol. As this approach further offers more weight and overhead to WSN hence a solution is to be proposed to solve these problems. The virtual gateway approach is chosen to experiment with overlay architecture. In order to realize the proposed concepts a middleware is proposed that modifies ZigBee stack in MAC layer and Network Layer by replacing the existing protocols with the experimentally proven protocols viz CSMA and RIP respectively. Further a new layer is also proposed and incorporated between Zigbee Network layer and Application layer. The experimentation results of CSMA & RIP are presented.