Impacts of 2.4-GHz ISM Band Interference on IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Network Reliability in Buildings

With the recent emergence of standards, wireless solutions are ready to be deployed in building automation networks. IEEE 802.15.4 is a standard for short-range wireless networks. Its major application fields are home and building automation, as well as industrial sensor and actuator networks. It operates primarily in the license-free 2.4-GHz industrial, scientific, and medical band. This feature makes the technology not only easily applicable but also potentially vulnerable to interference by other technologies in this band, e.g., Bluetooth and microwave ovens. There are many possible coexistence scenarios with different network sizes, configurations, interference sources (ISs), and environmental conditions. To investigate the impacts of ISs on the performance of IEEE 802.15.4 wireless sensor networks, this paper performs several experiments with commercially available equipment. The results give a rough indication of the mutual interference of the different systems when any two of the networks operate simultaneously and in range. This work collects important communication parameters to evaluate the impacts of other ISs on IEEE 802.15.4 networks. These results should help designers better understand the challenges of building wireless applications.