Blockchains and its implications in wireless sensor networks
Allisa Goyal, Kamlesh Lakhwani · Mechatronics · 2025
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs), as their name suggests, are wireless networks devoid of infrastructure and capable of self-configuration. WSNs monitor diverse physical and environmental conditions such as temperature, sound, and pollution, transmitting data to a central hub for analysis. Components such as sensors and microcontrollers communicate wirelessly via interconnected nodes. Blockchain technology, initially known for its success in cryptocurrency, has piqued interest in the realm of wireless networks. It enables anonymous individuals to interact with one another in a verifiable manner. Within a wireless body area network, blockchain can securely facilitate data sharing. This technology creates data structures with inherent security features, hinging on principles such as cryptography, decentralization, and consensus to instill trust in transactions. Unlike traditional databases, blockchain ensures secure data structures through the application of consensus, cryptography, and decentralization. Each new block of information securely links to all previous blocks, making tampering nearly impossible. This chapter provides an overview of blockchain technology’s applications in wireless networks and examines related research articles within this domain.