Computer and Communication Networks

Chapter 20. Wireless Sensor Networks

Self-organizing sensor networks hold the potential to revolutionize many segments of public security, environmental monitoring, and manufacturing. Sensors can be networked to form a network to enhance sensing capability. Like a computer network, a sensor network has a packet with a header flowing in a network of nodes (sensor nodes). This chapter presents the architectures and protocols of such networks, discussing the following topics:

• Sensor networks and protocol structures

• Communication energy model

• Clustering protocols

• Routing protocols

• Case study: Simulation of a sensor network

• Other related technologies

We begin with an overview of sensor networks and explain some popular applications. We ...