Sensor

A Sensor is a device used to gather information about a

physical process and translate into electrical signals that can
be processed, measured and analyzed The physical process can
be any real-world information like temperature, pressure,
light, sound, motion, position, flow, humidity, radiation etc.A
Sensor Network is a structure consisting of sensors,
computational units and communication elements for the
purpose of recording, observing and reacting to an event or a
phenomenon. The events can like physical world, an industrial
environment, a biological system while the controlling or
observing body can be a consumer application, government,
civil, military, or an industrial entity.Such Sensor Networks can
be used for remote sensing, medical telemetry, surveillance,
monitoring, data collection etc.

Wireless Sensor Networks or senser network

A Wireless sensor network can be defined as a network of
devices that can communicate the information gathered from a
monitored field through wireless links. The data is forwarded
through multiple nodes, and with a gateway, the data is
connected to other networks like wireless Ethernet. Wireless
Sensor Networks Wireless Sensor Networks WSN is a wireless
network that consists of base stations and numbers of nodes
(wireless sensors). These networks are used to monitor
physical or environmental conditions like sound, pressure,
temperature, and co-operatively pass data through the
network to the main location as shown in the figure.
A typical sensor network consists of sensors, controller and a
communication system. If the communication system in a
Sensor Network is implemented using a Wireless protocol,
then the networks are known as Wireless Sensor Networks.
According to technologists, Wireless Sensor Networks is an
important technology for the twenty first century.
Recent developments in MEMS Sensors (Micro Electro
Mechanical System) and Wireless Communication has enabled
 cheap, low power, tiny and smart sensors, deployed in a wide
area and interconnected through wireless links for various
civilian and military applications.
A Wireless Sensor Network consists of Sensor Nodes
deployed in large quantities and support sensing, data
processing, embedded computing and connectivity.

Unique Constraints and Challenges of Wireless Sensor

Networks and also issues
Unlike a centralized system, a sensor network is
subject to a unique set of resource constraints such as
finite on-board battery power and limited network
communication bandwidth. In a typical sensor
network, each sensor node operates untethered and
has a micro pro- cessor and a small amount of
memory for signal processing and task scheduling.
Each node is also equipped with one or more sensing
devices such as acoustic microphone arrays, video or
still cameras, infrared (IR), seismic, or magnetic
sensors. Each sensor node communicates wirelessly
with a few other local nodes within its radio
communication range.
Sensor networks extend the existing Internet deep
 into the physical environment. The resulting new
network is orders of magnitude more expansive and
dynamic than the current TCP/IP network and is
creating entirely new types of traffic that are quite
different from what one finds on the Internet now.
Information collected by and transmitted on a sensor
network describes conditions of physical
environments—for example, temperature, humidity,
or vibration—
and requires advanced query interfaces and search
engines to effectively support user-level functions.
Sensor networks may internetwork with an IP core
network via a number of gateways
A gateway routes user queries or commands to appropriate
nodes in a sensor network. It also routes sensor data, at
times aggre gated and summarized, to users who have
requested it or are expected to utilize the information. A
data repository or storage service may
be present at the gateway, in addition to data logging at each
sensor.

Benefits or advantages of WSN senser network

➨It is scalable and hence can accommodate any new nodes
or devices at any time.
➨It is flexible and hence open to physical partitions.
➨All the WSN nodes can be accessed through centralized
montoring system.
➨As it is wireless in nature, it does not require wires or
cables➨WSNs can be

applied on large scale and in various domains such as

mines, healthcare, surveillance, agriculture etc.
➨It uses different security algorithms as per underlying
wireless technologies and hence provide reliable network for
consumers or users.
 Drawbacks or disadvantages of WSN or senser
network
Following are the drawbacks or disadvantages of WSN:
➨As it is wireless in nature, it is prone to hacking by hackers.
➨It can not be used for high speed communication as it is
designed for low speed applications.
➨It is expensive to build such network and hence can not be
affordable by all.
➨There are various challenges to be considered in WSN
such as energy efficiency, limited bandwidth, node costs,
deployment model, Software/hardware design
constraints and so on.
➨In star topology based WSN, failure of central node leads to
whole network
shutdown.

Applications of Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor network has a wide range of monitoring and sensing
applications in different sectors. It is used in the military for
surveillance. In medicals, deploying sensor help doctors track and
monitor patients remotely. In the agriculture industry, an
autonomous irrigation system using moisture and humidity sensors
can be developed on farms.
A wireless sensor network is also used to develop systems that can
determine the weather conditions of the environment. In this
system, analysis can be made to predict future weather conditions.

Types of Wireless Sensor Networks

Depending on the environment, the types of networks are
decided so that those can be deployed underwater,
 underground, on land, and so on. Different types of WSNs
include:
Terrestrial WSNs
Underground
WSNs Underwater
WSNs Multimedia
WSNs Mobile
WSNs Terrestrial
WSNs
Terrestrial WSNs are capable of communicating base stations
efficiently, and consist of hundreds to thousands of wireless
sensor nodes deployed either in an unstructured (ad hoc) or
structured (Pre-planned) manner. In an unstructured mode, the
sensor nodes are randomly distributed within the target area
that is dropped from a fixed plane. The preplanned or
structured mode considers optimal placement, grid placement,
and 2D, 3D placement models

In this WSN, the battery power is limited; however, the battery is

equipped with solar cells as a secondary power source. The Energy
conservation of these WSNs is achieved by using low duty cycle
operations, minimizing delays, and optimal routing, and so on.
Underground WSNs
The underground wireless sensor networks are more
expensive than the terrestrial WSNs in terms of deployment,
maintenance, and equipment cost considerations and careful
planning. The WSNs networks consist of several sensor nodes
that are hidden in the ground to monitor underground
conditions. To relay information from the sensor nodes to the
base station, additional sink nodes are located above the
ground.
Underground WSNs
The underground wireless sensor networks deployed into the
ground are difficult to recharge. The sensor battery nodes
equipped with limited battery power are difficult to recharge.
In addition to this, the underground environment makes
wireless communication a challenge due to the high level of
attenuation and signal loss.
Under Water WSNs
More than 70% of the earth is occupied with water. These
networks consist of several sensor nodes and vehicles
deployed underwater. Autonomous underwater vehicles are
used for gathering data from these sensor nodes. A challenge
of underwater communication is a long propagation delay,
and bandwidth and sensor failures.
Under Water WSNs
Underwater, WSNs are equipped with a limited battery that
cannot be recharged or replaced. The issue of energy
conservation for underwater WSNs involves the development
of underwater communication and networking techniques.
Multimedia WSNs
Multimedia wireless sensor networks have been proposed to
enable tracking and monitoring of events in the form of
multimedia, such as imaging, video, and audio. These networks
consist of low-cost sensor nodes equipped with microphones
and cameras. These nodes are interconnected with each other
over a wireless connection for data compression, data retrieval,
and correlation. Multimedia WSNs
The challenges with the multimedia WSN include high energy
consumption, high bandwidth requirements, data processing,
and compressing techniques. In
addition to this, multimedia contents require high bandwidth
for the content to be delivered properly and easily.
Mobile WSNs
These networks consist of a collection of sensor nodes that
can be moved on their own and can be interacted with the
physical environment. The mobile nodes can compute sense
and communicate.
Mobile wireless sensor networks are much more versatile
than static sensor networks. The advantages of MWSN over
static wireless sensor networks include better and
improved coverage, better energy efficiency, superior
channel capacity, and so on.

Mobile Adhoc Network (MANET)

A MANET consists of a number of mobile devices that come
together to form a network as needed, without any support
from any existing internet infrastructure or any other kind of
fixed stations.
A MANET can be defined as an autonomous system of nodes or
MSs(also serving as routers) connected by wireless links, the
union of which forms a communication network modeled in
the form of an arbitrary communication graph.
This is in contrast to the well-known single hop cellular
network model that supports the needs of wireless
communication between two mobile nodes relies on the wired
backbone and fixed base stations.
In a MANET, no such infrastructure exists and network
topology may be changed dynamically in an unpredictable
manner since nodes are free to move and each node has
limiting transmitting power, restricting access to the node only
in the neighboring range.
MANETs are basically peer-to-peer, multi-hop wireless
networks in which information packets are transmitted in a
store and forward manner from a source to an arbitrary
destination, via intermediate nodes as given in the figure:

As nodes move, the connectivity may change based on relative

locations of other nodes. The resulting change in the network
topology known at the local level must be passed on to other
nodes so that old topology information can be updated.
For example, as MS2 in the figure changes its point of
attachment from MS3 to MS4, other nodes that are part of the
network should use this new route to forward packets to MS2.
In the figure, we assume that it is not possible to have all nodes
within each other’s radio range. In case all nodes are closed by
within each other’s radio range, there are no routing issues to
be addressed.
In figures raise another issue, that of symmetric and
asymmetric (bidirectional) and asymmetric (unidirectional)
links. Consider symmetric links with associative radio range;
for example, if MS1 is within radio range of MS3, then MS3 is
also within radio range of MS1. The communication links are
symmetric. This assumption is not always valid because of
differences in transmitting power levels and the terrain.
Routing in asymmetric networks is relatively hard task. In
certain cases, it is possible to find routes that exclude
asymmetric links, since it is cumbersome to find the return
path. The issue of efficient is one of the several challenges
encountered in a MANET.
The other issue is varying the mobility patterns of different
nodes. Some other nodes are highly mobile, while others are
primarily stationary. It is difficult to predict a node’s
movement and direction of movement and numerous studies
have been performed to evaluate their performance using
different simulators.
Characteristics of MANET

Some characteristics of adhoc network are as follows:

Dynamic topologies: nodes are free to move arbitrarily; thus

the network topology may be changed randomly and
unpredictably and primarily consists of bidirectional links. In
some cases where the transmission power of two nodes is
different, a unidirectional link may exist.
Bandwidth-constrained and variable capacity links: wireless
links continue to have significantly lower capacity than
infrastructure networks.
Energy-constrained operation: some or all of the MSs in a
MANET may rely on batteries or other exhaustible means for
their energy. For these nodes or devices, the most important
system design optimization criteria may be energy
conservation.
Limited physical security: MANETs are generally more prone
to physical security threats than wire line networks. The
increased possibility of eavesdropping, spoofing, and denial of
services (DoS) attacks should be considered carefully. To
reduce security threats, many existing link security techniques
are often applied within wireless networks.
Applications of MANET
Some specific applications of ad hoc networks include
industrial and commercial applications involving cooperative
mobile data exchange. There are many existing and future
military networking requirements for robust, IP-compliant
data services within mobile wireless communication
networks, with many of these networks consist of highly
dynamic autonomous topology segments. Advanced features of
Mobile ad hoc networks, including data rates compatible with
multimedia applications global roaming capability, and
coordination with other network structures are enabling new
applications.
Defense applications: Many defense applications require on
the fly communications set-up, and ad hoc/sensor networks
are excellent candidates for use in battlefield management.
Crisis management applications: These arise, for example, as a
result of natural disasters in which the entire communication
infrastructure is in disarray. Restoring communications
quickly is essential.
Telemedicine: The paramedic assisting the victim of a traffic
accident in a remote location must access medical records (e.g.
X-rays) and may need video conference assistance from a
surgeon for an emergency intervention. In fact, the paramedic
may need to instantaneously relay back to the hospital the
victim’s X-rays and other diagnostic tests from the site of the
accident.
Tele-geoprocessing application: The combination of GPS, GIS
 (Geographical Information Systems), and high-capacity
wireless mobile systems enables a new type of application
referred to as tele- geo processing.
Virtual Navigation: A remote database contains the graphical
representation of building, streets, and physical
characteristics of a large metropolis. They may also “virtually”
see the internal layout of buildings, including an emergency
rescue plan, or find possible points of interest.
Education via the internet: Educational opportunities available
on the internet or remote areas because of the economic
infeasibility of providing expensive last-mile wire line internet
access in these areas to all subscribers.
Vehicular area network: This a growing and very useful
application of adhoc network in providing emergency services
and other information. This is equally effective in both urban
and rural setup. The basic and exchange necessary data that is
beneficial in a given situation.

Enabling technologies for Wireless Sensor

Networks

Fig 9 / Enabling Technologies for WSN

Energy Scavenging
• These three basic parts of a sensor node have to be
 accompanied by power supply.
• This requirement depends on application, high capacity
batteries lasting for long times and can efficiently
provide small amounts of current.
• A sensor node also has a device for energy scavenging,
recharging the battery with energy gathered from the
environment – solar cells or vibration-based power
generation are conceivable options.
• Such a concept requires the battery to be efficiently
chargeable with small amounts of current, which is not
a standard ability.
• The counterpart to the basic hardware technologies is
software.