Towards reliable and lightweight communication in industrial wireless sensor networks

In this paper we address the issues of timeliness and transmission reliability of existing industrial communication standards. We combine a Forward Error Correction coding scheme on the Medium Access Control layer with a lightweight routing protocol to form an IEEE 802.15.4-conformable solution, which can be implemented into already existing hardware without violating the standard. After laying the theoretical foundations, we conduct a performance evaluation of the proposed solution. The results show a substantial gain in reliability and reduced latency, compared to the uncoded transmissions, as well as common Wireless Sensor Network routing protocols.