Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications

CHAPTER 4

Sensor Network Topologies and Design Considerations

Connecting the devices in our lives, from toasters to fitness devices, to each other and to the Internet is the fundamental principle of the Internet of Things (IoT). Enabling this connectivity requires at the very least a direct connection to the Internet, but often data is routed and processed at a local network stage before being passed to the Internet. Some sensor networks are not connected to the Internet at all, and their data is simply aggregated and displayed at a local aggregation point, such as a smartphone or PC. The topology of the sensor network depends largely on the ...