Multimedia communication in cognitive radio ad hoc and sensor networks

Abstract

Small and low-cost sensor nodes are available, thanks to developments in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. These sensor nodes have irreplaceable batteries and they are deployed in specific regions of interest. The deployment of these sensor nodes forms wireless ad hoc networks, namely wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The application areas of these networks are environmental or habitat monitoring, military surveillance, medical applications, multimedia applications, and so forth. The sensor nodes sense the environment-heat, pressure, sound, light, or motion depending on the application-and form packets related to the observations. The sensor nodes collaborate with each other to convey these packets in a multihop manner to a base station or sink.