A Hybrid Channel Hopping Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks Based on IEEE 802.15.4

To possess more sensor nodes and maximize the capacity of future networks, anti-interference technology becomes one of the important research subjects in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). The previous studies indicate that the dynamic timeslot allocation and channel hopping can solve the interference problem, while a pure channel hopping technology may lose other network performances. Combined with the dynamic resource allocation (DRA) and the theory of the channel hopping technology, this paper proposes a hybrid channel hopping scheme for WSNs based on IEEE 802.15.4. In this scheme, it introduces two channel modes (channel hopping mode and channel adaption mode). Nodes select the channel mode, dynamically apply for a channel or timeslots by DRA request, and automatically switch the channel mode according to the channel condition. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can effectively improve the anti-interference capability and enhance the network capacity.