Performance Evaluation of an IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Network on a Coastal Environment

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have an enormous potential for investigating oceanographic problems such as the impact of industrial, touristic and commercial activities in coastal areas, among others. However, ocean waves, fog, humidity and other environmental conditions make difficult communication between nodes. This paper presents an evaluation on-site of the performance of an IEEE 802.15.4 WSN. In particular, received signal strength indication, throughput, round trip delay time and the rate of efficiency are evaluated.  Different settings were tested and results shown which settings performed better on these environments.