A lightweight data exchange protocol for campus environmental monitoring

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are spatially distributed networks using wireless communication technology to collect information. However, the protocol strongly impacts on the whole WSNs. For example, serious inefficiency results from an inappropriate protocol. Compared with other short range wireless communication protocols, ZigBee protocol is suited for monitoring and control because of the low-power. Although ZigBee provides a general set of services using an interface between the network layer (NWK) and the application layer (APL), the application layer of ZigBee lacks flexibility for the special application of the WSNs. Furthermore, it can´t ensure the integrity and continuity of collected-data because of network transmission delay. To address the issue, a novel lightweight data exchange protocol is proposed in this paper. This protocol is based on ZigBee, which creates redundant information by adding acquisition time and sensor type to the application layer.