An experimental study of IoT transmission power, in outdoor environment, using Crossbow TelosB nodes

Planning and deploying a functional large scale Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) or a Network of Internet of Things (IoTs) is a challenging task, especially in complex urban environments. The typical complex urban environment distorts the RF signal from nodes due to multipath and as a result the connectivity of the network could be problematic. The need for accurate and reliable network simulators is mandatory to extract meaningful results. The fact that existing network layer simulators are unable to accurately simulate the physical layer effects, renders them inefficient to provide those results. In this work, we experimentally measure the signal strength of Crossbow TelosB node in different setups. The observations indicate that the actual behaviour of wireless nodes is highly variable and bimodal. Such an outcome stipulates the need of utilizing effective cross-layer simulators that can incorporate the physical layer conditions, in order to accurately simulate the performance of IoT networks in a complex urban environment.