Impact of Variable Packet Length on the Performance of Heterogeneous Multimedia Wireless Sensor Networks

Performance valuation of wireless sensor network (WSN) routing protocols calls for realistic data traffic models because of their application specific nature. Since energy limitations is a cardinal issue for WSNs, network lifetime has become a key performance metric. In the quest towards energy efficiency, data packet length is an essential factor, especially in the multimedia applications. On one hand, a modest packet length brings down the packet loss, nonetheless, it results in dissipation of more energy. Thus, there comes forth a tradeoff in resolving the data packet length, where both low and high bit rates lead to certain energy inefficiency problems. This paper analyses the effect of variable packet length, being majorly ignored by routing protocols, on the network lifetime, throughput and reliability. The presented work is validated using computer simulations.