Versatile low power media access for wireless sensor networks

We propose B-MAC, a carrier sense media access protocol for wireless sensor networks that provides a flexible interface to obtain ultra low power operation, effective collision avoidance, and high channel utilization. To achieve low power operation, B-MAC employs an adaptive preamble sampling scheme to reduce duty cycle and minimize idle listening. B-MAC supports on-the-fly reconfiguration and provides bidirectional interfaces for system services to optimize performance, whether it be for throughput, latency, or power conservation. We build an analytical model of a class of sensor network applications. We use the model to show the effect of changing B-MAC’s parameters and predict the behavior of sensor network applications. By comparing B-MAC to conventional 802.11inspired protocols, specifically S-MAC, we develop an experimental characterization of B-MAC over a wide range of network conditions. We show that B-MAC’s flexibility results in better packet delivery rates, through...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: SENSYS
• Authors: Joseph Polastre, Jason L. Hill, David E. Culler
• Keywords: B-MAC, Sensor Network Applications, Sensor Networks, SENSYS 2004