WiseNET: An ultralow-power wireless sensor network solution

Since wireless sensor networks often are deployed in regions that are difficult to access, the nodes should not require maintenance. They must be energetically autonomous, using batteries that do nor need to be replaced or recharged. In many application scenarios, the targeted node lifetime typically ranges from two to five years, imposing drastic constraints on power consumption. With a single 1.5-V AA alkaline battery, the average power consumption ranges from 100 to 10 microwatts, for a node lifetime ranging between two and seven years. To conserve power, the nodes must sleep most of the time. Thus, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology developed WiseNET to optimize power consumption. An ultralow-power platform for the implementation of wireless sensor networks, WiseNET achieves low-power operation through a careful codesign approach. The system combines a complex system-on-chip sensor node with a dedicated duty-cycled radio and WiseMAC, a low-power MAC protocol designed for low-duty-cycle wireless sensor networks. The WiseNET solution consumes about 100 times less power than comparable alternatives available today.