FPGA based re-configurable wireless sensor network protocol

Recent advances in wireless communications and micro-electronics have enabled the development of low-cost wireless sensor networks. In this paper, a reconfigurable wireless sensor network platform for reliable detection and quick reporting of random and temporary events is being described. Bluetooth, which has the key features like low cost, low power and robustness, is used to establish the communication between the sensor nodes. To have the advantage of multi-hop routing and easy expansion of the network, tree topology is used. Altera´s Cyclone Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, equipped with a configurable NIOS II soft-core is used as a sensor node. The main features of the network are re-configurability, programmability and scalability.