CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

PROBLEM IN WIRELESS SENSOR NEWORKS

Wireless sensor networks provide an economical, fully distributed and

computing solution for environments where conventional networks are impractical..
WSNs are composed of small, cheap, self-contained, and disposable sensor nodes.
WSNs are constrained by low power, dense deployment, and limited processing power
and memory. Sensor networks have different constraints than traditional networks.
Energy constraints are paramount in sensor networks since nodes can often not be
recharged, so any wasted energy shortens their useful lifetime.

Reliable data transport in sensor networks is a multifaceted problem. The

emphasis on energy conservation in sensor networks implies that poor paths should not
be artificially bolstered. Path maintenance, on the other hand benefits from well-
engineered recovery at the transport layer. Recovery should not be costly however,
since many applications in sensor networks are impervious to occasional packet loss.
The aspects of reliable data transport include the provision of guaranteed delivery and
fragmentation/reassembly of data entities.

Reliable data transmission in WNSs is difficult due to the following

characteristics of WSNs:
• Limited processing capabilities and transmission range of sensor nodes.

• Close proximity to ground causes signal attenuation or channel fading.

 • Dense deployment of sensor nodes creates significant channel contention and
congestion.

To overcome the problems in providing reliable data transmission, there is a

need for transport layer to handle the packet loss recovery and congestion control.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT

The project mainly deals in providing reliable data transport in sensor

networks. Reliable multisegment transport protocol provides the reliability. It is meant
to operate on the top of directed diffusion.

Directed diffusion

Directed diffusion is the communication paradigm used in sensor

networks. It supports data-centric routing and application-specific processing inside
the network. It includes a family of algorithms. They are One-Phase Pull diffusion,
Two-Phase Pull diffusion and Push diffusion. One phase pul