Challenges: communication through silence in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are typically characterized by a limited energy supply at sensor nodes. Hence, energy efficiency is an important issue in the system design and operation of WSNs. In this paper, we introduce a novel communication paradigm that enables energy-efficient information delivery in wireless sensor networks. Compared with traditional communication strategies, the proposed scheme explores a new dimension - time, to deliver information efficiently. We refer to the strategy as Communication through Silence (CtS). We identify a key drawback of CtS - energy - throughput trade-off, and explore optimization mechanisms that can alleviate the trade-off. We then present several challenges that need to be overcome, primarily at the medium access control layer of the network protocol stack, in order to realize CtS effectively. Categories and Subject Descriptors C.2.1 [Network Architecture and Design]: Wireless communication General Terms Algorithms, Design, Performance ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: MOBICOM
• Authors: Yujie Zhu, Raghupathy Sivakumar
• Keywords: Communication, Keywords Wireless Sensor, MOBICOM 2005, Wireless Sensor Networks