Low Power Wireless Communications and the Internet of Things

Dimitris Mitrakos

2015

Abstract

The IEEE 802.15.4 standard offers the basis upon which a number of wireless data communications technologies are built. Characterised by key features such as high energy efficiency, low latency, high accuracy and low cost, these technologies play a significant role in the rapid development of new technological ecosystems that help shaping the emerging Internet of Things. The standard sets specifications for the RF, PHY and MAC layers. Augmented with higher layer ad hoc protocols and applications these specifications allow single chip complete radio controllers to create cost effective self-healing mesh networks of both sensors and actuators. Under the umbrella of Internet of Things, these devices allow people and objects in the physical world as well as data and virtual environments to interact with each other, thus enabling smart digital environments in important domains of human activity such as home, transport, health or energy. Mathematical modeling and performance assessment of the basic IEEE 802.15.4 technologies has been the focus of many studies in order to help understanding better the fundamental factors affecting their efficiency. Despite its complexity, the joint evaluation of communications mechanisms at both PHY and MAC layers is expected to lead to more realistic results and to help developing more efficient systems. At the MAC layer, efficiency is mainly determined by the foreseen multiple access mechanism CSMA/CA and its ability to resolve collisions of packets that originate from various network nodes. However, this efficiency is further affected by the path loss, multi path fading, shadowing, noise and interference exhibited in the underlying wireless channel. The presentation will review a number of approaches developed in the past for joint modeling of PHY and MAC layers in IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networks and present an analytical model based on the M/M/1 and M/G/1 queuing systems with service interruptions or vacations in an attempt to capture the stochastic behavior of signal propagation particularly in low power wireless networks. Simulation as well as experimental results will be discussed in the light of real life implementations for urban traffic management and public transport optimisation currently under development in a framework of smart cities applications.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Mitrakos D. (2015). Low Power Wireless Communications and the Internet of Things . In Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Telecommunications and Remote Sensing - Volume 1: ICTRS, ISBN 978-989-758-152-6, pages 3-4. DOI: 10.5220/0005888600030004

in Bibtex Style

@conference{ictrs15,
author={Dimitris Mitrakos},
title={Low Power Wireless Communications and the Internet of Things},
booktitle={Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Telecommunications and Remote Sensing - Volume 1: ICTRS,},
year={2015},
pages={3-4},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0005888600030004},
isbn={978-989-758-152-6},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Telecommunications and Remote Sensing - Volume 1: ICTRS,
TI - Low Power Wireless Communications and the Internet of Things
SN - 978-989-758-152-6
AU - Mitrakos D.
PY - 2015
SP - 3
EP - 4
DO - 10.5220/0005888600030004