Design of a low power wireless sensor network for environmental monitoring
Date
2008-12
Authors
Spreeth, Gideon
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
A WSN (wireless sensor network) consists of a collection of small, low power electronic
devices that can sense their environment and communicate with each other in order to
send data to a base station for logging and monitoring. Research done on WSNs has
increased rapidly over the past few years, as the necessary RF hardware has become
cheaper and smaller. The wealth of information and hardware available in this field has
made it possible to design and deploy networks for a multitude of monitoring purposes,
on almost any terrain, without an existing telecommunication infrastructure.
This thesis presents research into some major aspects of WSNs and the implementation of
a test system with wireless sensor motes, that can be used for environmental monitoring,
conservation purposes, impact studies, early warning systems for floods, fires etc. The
system also has a wide range of possible uses in agriculture, as more data and better
control over crops can increase yield.
The power constraint of sensor nodes is one of the biggest concerns, as batteries can
be depleted quickly and render a system useless. For this reason, work was focused on
reducing power consumption of the hardware by means of various methods. Power use was
also simulated very successfully, giving a accurate way of predicting node lifetime with
a variety of battery types. The system was implemented on the Tmote Sky hardware
platform using the open source sensor network operating system, TinyOS.
Description
Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Keywords
Theses -- Electronic engineering, Dissertations -- Electronic engineering