Abstract

Wireless?Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been established as the backbone of the technological developments that have been made in recent years, allowing companies to employ them in a variety of applications through the industries. These networks are composed of a large number of the tiny, self-contained sensor nodes endowed with?wireless communication, which are possibly the most appropriate to handle the collection, the processing, the storage and the transmission of information from physical world in real time. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are extensively used in applications including environment?monitoring, healthcare, industrial automation, intelligent infrastructure, and military applications. By delivering quantifiable and reliable information timely for stakeholders they enhance knowledge-based decision making, resource?utilization, and quality of life. The key features of WSNs such?as flexibility, scalability, low cost, and ease of deployment are also very appropriate for large scale localized applications. This paper summarizes the basic elements?of WSNs, sensor nodes, communication protocols, data processing methods, etc. The paper also discusses the fundamental issues involved in designing and implementing WSNs, including energy management, security,?and data fusion. Particular attention is given to the role of energy efficient protocols and?security in addressing the weaknesses of wireless transmission. The abstract finishes by discussing research and development (R&D) work currently under development to boost WSNs performance, reliability and security to keep pace with the increasing needs?of current and future technology infrastructures.