Developing the IoT through wireless communication networks: analysis of topologies

Abstract

Sensor networks consist of a set of sensor nodes which are spread over a geographical area. These nodes are able to perform processing as well as sensing and are additionally capable of communicating with each other.1 Topology control is one primary challenge in these scenarios. Unlike the wired networks that typically have fixed network topologies, each sensor node in a sensor network can potentially change the network topology by adjusting its transmission range and/ or selecting specific nodes to forward its messages, thus, controlling its set of neighbors.1 This is very important because future Internet aims to integrate heterogeneous communication technologies, both wired and wireless, in order to contribute substantially to assert the concept of Internet of Things (IoT).2 At the same time, prices of sensors, microprocessors, open-hardware and other electronic devices that support the IoT are low, and, in consequence, there is a proliferation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in many applicative scenarios.