Evaluation of WSN Protocols on a Novel PSoC-Based Sensor Network

Sensor networks have found widespread use in a variety of applications such as structure monitoring, environment monitoring. etc ... Commercially available sensor nodes (that integrate sensors, micro-processor/controller. memory and peripherals) are often used to design and deploy sensor networks. In this work, authors describe a sensor network built using PSoC (Programmable System-on-Chip) from Cypress Semiconductor. The advantage of PSoC is that it integrates analog. digital and controller components (all required to process sensor data) on a single chip, thus resulting in a smaller footprint for sensor nodes. Communication with other nodes is achieved through CyFi low power RF module operating in the 2.4GHz ISM band. Two specific WSN protocols namely, LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) and SPIN (Sensor Protocol for Information via Negotiation) have been implemented on this network and their performance studied using NS-2 simulator.