Wireless sensor networks for the internet of things: Barriers and synergies

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are recognized key enablers for the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm since its inception. WSNs are a resilient and effective distributed data collection technology, but issues related to reliability, autonomy, cost, and accessibility to application domain experts still limit their wide scale use. Commercial solutions can effectively address vertical application domains, but they often lead to technology lock-ins that limit horizontal composability and reuse. We review some important barriers that hinder WSN use in IoT applications and highlight the main effort and cost components. With these elements in mind, we propose an open hardware-software development platform that can optimize the value flow between technologies and actors with stakes in WSN applications. To reach its objectives, the platform fosters reuse, low-effort low-risk fast prototyping accessible to application domain experts, easy integration of new technology and IP blocks, and simplifies the permeation of research results in commercial applications.