Topology aware - beaconless reactive wireless sensor network

A wireless network architecture is suggested to support the increasing demand of low-power, short range ubiquitous, ad-hoc (self-configuration) communication for fixed, embedded or portable devices. It is envisaged that the proposed communication network architecture supports applications like wireless sensor networks and smart environments. We describe a network architecture and topology capable of integrating different wireless transmission technologies - suitable to support dense network of communication devices (nodes). The network is heterogeneous as nodes can have different wireless communication means, tailored to their individual role in the network and other constraints (e.g. power consumption), and thereby allow different communication patterns (e.g. bi-directional, uni-directional). To optimize power consumption and network latency, a new addressing mechanism at the MAC level is combined with a novel "always on" receiver architecture.