Using a remote lab for teaching energy harvesting enhanced wireless sensor networks

Teaching wireless sensor networks (WSNs) only theoretically is not sufficient to understand the complex interaction of these networks. WSNs consist of sensor nodes which measure physical quantities of their environment, preprocess the measured data, and transmit it towards a base station in a multi-hop manner. WSNs are typically used in application areas without wired infrastructure and so they must be powered by batteries or energy harvesting systems. Due to the influence of different factors on the behavior, practical exercises can enhance the learning process because the students can perform their experimentation independently. This work presents the use of a remote lab for teaching energy harvesting enhanced WSNs. Students can learn the behavior of WSNs and the influences of energy harvesting. Furthermore, practical aspects of WSNs are shown by using a realistic application scenario. This work is part of the European project Remotelabs Access in Internet-based Performance-centered Learning Environment for Curriculum Support.