Lightweight Wireless Sensor Networks Research Articles

Designing and Implementing a Lightweight WSN MAC Protocol for Smart Home Networking Applications

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) represent a promising solution in the fields of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine networks for smart home applications. However, to feasibly deploy wireless sensor devices in a smart home environment, four key requirements must be satisfied: stability, compatibility, reliability routing, and performance and power balance. In this study, we focus on the unreliability problem of the IEEE 802.15.4 WSN medium access control (MAC), which is caused by the contention-based MAC protocol used for channel access. This problem results in a low packet delivery ratio, particularly in a smart home network with only a few sensor nodes. In this paper, we first propose a lightweight WSN protocol for a smart home or an intelligent building, thus replacing the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol, which is highly complex and has a low packet delivery ratio. Subsequently, we describe the development of a discrete event system model for the WSN by using a GRAFCET and propose a development platform based on a reconfigurable FPGA for reducing fabrication cost and time. Finally, a prototype WSN controller ASIC chip without an extra CPU and with our proposed lightweight MAC was developed and tested. It enhanced the packet delivery ratio by up to 100%.

DEDF: lightweight WSN distance estimation using RSSI data distribution-based fingerprinting

When estimating the distance for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), we always suppose that a fixed curve model exists between the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and communication distance. But there exist some negative factors in practice, which makes this assumption to contradict with the situation in real communication environment. It results in large distance estimation error with low efficiency. Thus, a lightweight WSN communication distance estimation method is presented, which is called distance estimation using distribution-based fingerprinting. First, we considered the uncertainty in RSSI values, and got the fingerprinting relationship in terms of RSSI data distribution, which is gained through a statistical calculation. Then, a data matching algorithm is implemented to estimate the communication distance. Finally, RSSI values in different conditions are utilized to validate this method. Experimental results demonstrated that the new method can obtain better results with high efficiency than other related methods, and can be applied in WSN localization system.

Design and Optimization of Hierarchical Routing Protocol for 6LoWPAN

To build scalable and lightweight wireless sensor networks with energy saving devices, 6LoWPAN-based protocols become emergent technologies that successfully constructed ubiquitous networks and seamlessly connected the traditional Internet with WSNs. However, the existing researches cannot effectively maintain the routing and the network topology for the problems of low cost sensors' malfunctions. In this paper, we improved the HiLow protocol in aspects of interconnection between the Internet and 6LoWPAN and designed a network routing path recovery approach. In addition, we designed and modified the address mapping table in gateway to store and map nodes' EUI-64 address and 16-bit short address. Nodes from the Internet can access the 6LoWPAN nodes by an IPv6 address, which is generated by the EUI-64 address and IPv6 prefix. Due to the benefits of additional data structure and our designs, the simulation results manifested that our protocol improves the routing efficiency and can effectively reduce the cost for network reorganization caused by node failures and mobiles.

Wireless Sensor Systems for Space and Extreme Environments: A Review

Using wireless sensor network (WSN) for building new sensing and actuating applications in space and extreme environments (SEEs) can fuel a new application paradigm if it can be adopted into a new strategy. This complementary contribution from the Guest Editors carries an important message of breaking away from conventional WSN research and developments and adopting a heterogeneous agile unconventional wireless sensing (UWS) approach deployment. For this, we urge the use of lightweight WSN known as wireless sensor systems (WSS) to develop optimized solutions for SEE. This paper also discusses some critical technologies of WSS-SEE and includes three key aspects of a new approach to examine: 1) the characterizes of SEE; 2) potential applications of UWS; and 3) heterogeneously nature of the applications. A further clarification for deployment of UWS is demonstrated using a table with six groups of typical application areas from the recent publications media.

ASDF: an object oriented service discovery framework for wireless sensor networks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new service discovery protocol (SDP) suitable for wireless sensor networks (WSN). The constraints imposed by ultra low‐cost sensor and actuators devices (basic components of a WSN) are taken into account to minimize the overall footprint.Design/methodology/approachIt is based on the lightweight WSN communication model used by picoObjects, a tiny implementation of the distributed object concept and the same design criteria are followed, aiming at minimal overhead for devices and communication protocols. In spite of its simplicity it is powerful enough to deploy a valuable set of services.FindingsThis approach provides a remote interface that client applications can use without knowing where the service is implemented (platform and location independence).Research limitations/implicationsThe future work is mainly focused on integrating third party services using different SDPs, making possible the real deployment of large heterogeneous pervasive environments.Practical implicationsDesigners may change the underlying SDP model (e.g. centralized versus distributed) without affecting applications by just tweaking configuration settings.Originality/valueEmbedded devices can participate in the service discovering procedure providing their own services by means of standard distributed objects. Also, the protocol is suitable for any kind of dynamic networked system.