[PDF] Protocols and Architectures for Wireless Sensor Networks

Integrating simple processing, storage, sensing, and communication capabilities into small-scale, low-cost devices and joining them into so-called wireless sensor networks opens the door to a plethora of new applications – or so it is commonly believed. It is a struggle to find a business model that can turn the bright visions into a prosperous and actually useful undertaking. But this struggle can be won by applying creative ideas to the underlying technology, assuming that this
technology and its abilities as well as shortcomings and limitations are properly understood. We have written this book in the hope of fostering this understanding.

Understanding (and presenting) this new type of networks is a formidable challenge. A key characteristic is the need to understand issues from many diverse areas, ranging from low-level aspects of hardware and radio communication to high-level concepts like databases or middleware
and to the very applications themselves. Then, a joint optimization can be attempted, carefully tuning all system components, drawing upon knowledge from disciplines like electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering, and mathematics. Such a complex optimization is necessary owing to the stringent resource restrictions – in particular, energy – by which these networks are constrained. As a consequence, a simple explanation along the lines of the ISO/OSI model or a similar layering model for communication networks fails. Nonetheless, we have attempted to guide the reader along the lines of such a model and tried to point out the points of interaction and interdependence between such different “layers”.

Audience and Prerequisites

The book is mainly targeted at senior undergraduate or graduate-level students, at academic and industrial researchers working in the field, and also at engineers developing actual solutions for wireless sensor networks. We consider this book as a good basis to teach a class on wireless sensor
networks (e.g. for a lecture corresponding to three European Credit Transfer System points).

This book is not intended as a first textbook on wireless networking. While we do try to introduce most of the required background, it will certainly be helpful for the reader to have some prior knowledge of wireless communication already; some first contact with mobile ad hoc networking
can be beneficial to understand the differences but is not essential. We do, however, assume general networking knowledge as a given.

Moreover, in several parts of the book, some concepts and results from discrete mathematics are used. It will certainly be useful for the reader to have some prior idea regarding optimization problems, NP completeness, and similar topics.