Evaluation of Network Stack Optimization Techniques for Wireless Sensor Networks

We present a network stack implementation for a wireless sensor platform based on a byte-level radio. The network stack provides error-correction code, multi-channel capability and reliable communication for a high packet reception rate as well as a basic packet-level communication interface. In outdoor tests, the packet reception rate is close to 100% within 800 ft and is reasonably good up to 1100 ft. This is made possible by using error correction code and a reliable transport layer. Our implementation also allows us to choose a frequency among multiple channels. By using multiple frequencies as well as a reliable transport layer, we can achieve a high packet reception rate by paying additional retransmission time when collisions increase with additional sensor nodes.