A Decade of Low-Power Wireless

Energy has always been the number one issue in wireless sensor networks, both because of the resource constraints of sensor nodes and because of the need for untethered operation. In particular, the energy footprint of wireless communication has been the object of a great deal of interest over the past decade. Many applications of sensor networks require nodes to operate for months or even years without supervision, thus making it imperative for nodes to employ low-power radios and to duty-cycle them. To complicate matters further, low-power radios are notoriously exposed to the vagaries of RF propagation. The challenge of achieving energy-efficient and reasonably reliable communication over lossy links has shaped a large body of experimental research, mostly driven by the popular Berkeley motes. In this talk, I will illustrate the highlights of a decade of low-power wireless research, with an emphasis on the key accomplishments in medium access and routing.