Citation: Alaerjan, A. Towards
Sustainable Distributed Sensor
Networks: An Approach for
Addressing Power Limitation Issues
in WSNs. Sensors 2023, 23, 975.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020975
Academic Editor: Alberto Gotta
Received: 30 November 2022
Revised: 28 December 2022
Accepted: 11 January 2023
Published: 14 January 2023
Copyright: © 2023 by the author.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Article
Towards Sustainable Distributed Sensor Networks: An
Approach for Addressing Power Limitation Issues in WSNs
Alaa Alaerjan
Department of Computer Science, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Jouf University,
Sakakah 72388, Saudi Arabia; asalaerjan@ju.edu.sa
Abstract:
Distributed wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been implemented in multiple applica-
tions. Those networks are intended to support the quality of operations and enhance applications’
productivity and safety. WSNs are constructed of a large amount of sensor nodes that are battery pow-
ered. Typically, wireless sensors are deployed in complex terrain which makes battery replacement
extremely difficult. Therefore, it is critical to adopt an energy sustainability approach to enhance the
lifetime of each sensor node since each node contributes to the lifetime of the entire WSN. In this work,
we propose an approach to reduce power consumption in wireless sensors. The approach addresses
power reduction in a sensor node at the sensing level, as well as the communication level. First, we
propose configuring the microcontroller of the sensor to conserve energy based on the performed
tasks. Then, we implement an interface to reduce consumed power by the radio module. Based on the
approach, we carried out field experiments and we measure the improvement of power-consumption
reduction. The results show that the approach contributes to saving up to 50% of the wasted energy
at the sensor node and it improves communication reliability especially when the number of sensors
in a network scales.
Keywords:
Contiki OS; distributed sensors; energy efficiency; IoT; sensors communication; wireless
sensor networks
1. Introduction
The rapid development of information and communication technologies has created
the potential for developing large-scale and distributed applications. The Internet of Things
(IoT) has been built upon the concept of connecting physical (e.g., devices, sensors) and
digital (e.g., applications, software) entities to improve automation, safety, and control [
1
].
The IoT notion aims at leveraging and enhancing exciting technologies to build intercon-
nected applications, such as smart grids and smart cities. Monitoring different domains
within IoT applications is a key aspect to ensuring their sustainability [
2
]. Wireless sensor
networks (WSNs) are considered to be essential means for monitoring multiple aspects in
IoT applications [
3
]. For example, WSNs are used in smart grids to monitor power domains
to enhance quality of operations. They are also used in smart cities to improve quality
aspects, such as safety and reliability. In fact, several IoT applications depend heavily on
the utilization of WSNs since they play a fundamental role in enhancing the performance
of those applications.
While the concept of employing wireless connectivity to span large geographical
regions is not new, the introduction of low-power area networks (LoWPANs) has received
significant attention in the last few years. This is due to the limitations in the lifetime
of battery-powered devices, such as wireless sensors. Those devices depend greatly on
radio technologies to communicate their data. Therefore, simple, robust, and narrowband
modulation techniques are essential to enable the deployment of low-cost radio sensors
with high receiver sensitivity. LoWPAN technologies, which include IPv6 low power area
network (6LoWPAN) solutions offer a cost-effective solution to many IoT applications [4].
Sensors 2023, 23, 975. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020975 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
