Motivation for a Network of Wireless Sensor Nodes
Waltenegus Dargie, Christian Poellabauer · 2010
As the field of wireless sensor networks (WSN) is based on numerous other domains, it is recommended that students have taken courses such as networking and operating systems (or comparable courses) before they take a course on sensor networks. This chapter discusses definitions and background of WSN. While sensor networks share many similarities with other distributed systems, they are subject to a variety of unique challenges and constraints. These constraints impact the design of a WSN, leading to protocols and algorithms that differ from their counterparts in other distributed systems. The chapter describes the most important design constraints of a WSN. It ends with a number of exercises and questions that will allow students to practice the described concepts and techniques. Controlled Vocabulary Terms network operating systems; wireless sensor networks