• WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK: ISSUES & CHALLENGES

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a new and emerging type of sensor networks that contain sensor nodes equipped with a radio transceiver, other wireless communications devices like a small microcontroller and an energy source, usually a battery. Wireless sensor network is a wireless ad-hoc network that consists of spatially distributed devices that use sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions. WSNs merge a wide range of information technology that spans computer hardware, systems software, networking and programming methodologies. WSNs make it possible to perceive what takes place in the physical world in ways not previously possible. In addition to offering the potential to advance many scientific pursuits, they also provide a vehicle for enhancing larger forms of productivity, such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and transportation. In this paper, we investigate various issues, applications and challenges in the field of wireless sensor network. We also investigate some of the new technology’s potential and describe typical characteristics of wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs). These networks have the potential to enable a large class of applications, ranging from assisting elderly in public spaces to border protection, that benefit from the use of numerous sensor nodes that deliver multimedia content. Then, we introduce the primary challenges in the state-of the-art in wireless sensor networks. Finally, we discuss the existing solutions and possible future research trends.