AdamRTP: Adaptive multi-flow real-time multimedia transport protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Real-time multimedia applications are time sensitive and require extra resources from the network, e.g. large bandwidth and big memory. However, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) suffer from limited resources such as computational, storage, and bandwidth capabilities. Therefore, sending real-time multimedia applications over WSNs can be very challenging. For this reason, we propose an Adaptive Multi-flow Real-time Multimedia Transport Protocol (AdamRTP) that has the ability to ease the process of transmitting real-time multimedia over WSNs by splitting the multimedia source stream into smaller independent flows using an MDC-aware encoder, then sending each flow to the destination using joint/disjoint path. AdamRTP uses dynamic adaptation techniques, e.g. number of flows and rate adaptation. Simulations experiments demonstrate that AdamRTP enhances the Quality of Service (QoS) of transmission. Also, we showed that in an ideal WSN, using multi-flows consumes less power than using a single flow and extends the life-time of the network

A Survey on Multimedia-Based Cross-Layer Optimization in Visual Sensor Networks

Visual sensor networks (VSNs) comprised of battery-operated electronic devices endowed with low-resolution cameras have expanded the applicability of a series of monitoring applications. Those types of sensors are interconnected by ad hoc error-prone wireless links, imposing stringent restrictions on available bandwidth, end-to-end delay and packet error rates. In such context, multimedia coding is required for data compression and error-resilience, also ensuring energy preservation over the path(s) toward the sink and improving the end-to-end perceptual quality of the received media. Cross-layer optimization may enhance the expected efficiency of VSNs applications, disrupting the conventional information flow of the protocol layers. When the inner characteristics of the multimedia coding techniques are exploited by cross-layer protocols and architectures, higher efficiency may be obtained in visual sensor networks. This paper surveys recent research on multimedia-based cross-layer optimization, presenting the proposed strategies and mechanisms for transmission rate adjustment, congestion control, multipath selection, energy preservation and error recovery. We note that many multimedia-based cross-layer optimization solutions have been proposed in recent years, each one bringing a wealth of contributions to visual sensor networks

Wireless multimedia sensor network technology: a survey

Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSNs) is comprised of small embedded video motes capable of extracting the surrounding environmental information, locally processing it and then wirelessly transmitting it to parent node or sink. It is comprised of video sensor, digital signal processing unit and digital radio interface. In this paper we have surveyed existing WMSN hardware and communicationprotocol layer technologies for achieving or fulfilling the objectives of WMSN. We have also listed the various technical challenges posed by this technology while discussing the communication protocol layer technologies. Sensor networking capabilities are urgently required for some of our most important scientific and societal problems like understanding the international carbon budget, monitoring water resources, monitoring vehicle emissions and safeguarding public health. This is a daunting research challenge requiring distributed sensor systems operating in complex environments while providing assurance of reliable and accurate sensing

A comprehensive survey of wireless body area networks on PHY, MAC, and network layers solutions

Recent advances in microelectronics and integrated circuits, system-on-chip design, wireless communication and intelligent low-power sensors have allowed the realization of a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). A WBAN is a collection of low-power, miniaturized, invasive/non-invasive lightweight wireless sensor nodes that monitor the human body functions and the surrounding environment. In addition, it supports a number of innovative and interesting applications such as ubiquitous healthcare, entertainment, interactive gaming, and military applications. In this paper, the fundamental mechanisms of WBAN including architecture and topology, wireless implant communication, low-power Medium Access Control (MAC) and routing protocols are reviewed. A comprehensive study of the proposed technologies for WBAN at Physical (PHY), MAC, and Network layers is presented and many useful solutions are discussed for each layer. Finally, numerous WBAN applications are highlighted

Enabling reliable and power efficient real-time multimedia delivery over wireless sensor networks

There is an increasing need to run real-time multimedia applications, e.g. battle field and border surveillance, over Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In WSNs, packet delivery exhibits high packet loss rate due to congestion, wireless channel high bit error rate, route failure, signal attenuation, etc... Flooding conventional packets over all sensors redundantly provides reliable delivery. However, flooding real-time multimedia packets is energy inefficient for power limited sensors and causes severe contentions affecting reliable delivery. We propose the Flooding Zone Initialization Protocol (FZIP) to enhance reliability and reduce power consumption of real-time multimedia flooding in WSNs. FZIP is a setup protocol which constrains flooding within a small subset of intermediate nodes called Flooding Zone (FZ). Also, we propose the Flooding Zone Control Protocol (FZCP) which monitors the session quality and dynamically changes the FZ size to adapt to current network state, thus providing a tradeoff of good quality and less power consumption

Compression of Video Tracking and Bandwidth Balancing Routing in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

There has been a tremendous growth in multimedia applications over wireless networks. Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks(WMSNs) have become the premier choice in many research communities and industry. Many state-of-art applications, such as surveillance, traffic monitoring, and remote heath care are essentially video tracking and transmission in WMSNs. The transmission speed is constrained by the big file size of video data and fixed bandwidth allocation in constant routing paths. In this paper, we present a CamShift based algorithm to compress the tracking of videos. Then we propose a bandwidth balancing strategy in which each sensor node is able to dynamically select the node for the next hop with the highest potential bandwidth capacity to resume communication. Key to this strategy is that each node merely maintains two parameters that contain its historical bandwidth varying trend and then predict its near future bandwidth capacity. Then, the forwarding node selects the next hop with the highest potential bandwidth capacity. Simulations demonstrate that our approach significantly increases the data received by the sink node and decreases the delay on video transmission in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network environments

A Secure Cluster-Based Multipath Routing Protocol for WMSNs

The new characteristics of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network (WMSN) and its design issues brought by handling different traffic classes of multimedia content (video streams, audio, and still images) as well as scalar data over the network, make the proposed routing protocols for typical WSNs not directly applicable for WMSNs. Handling real-time multimedia data requires both energy efficiency and QoS assurance in order to ensure efficient utility of different capabilities of sensor resources and correct delivery of collected information. In this paper, we propose a Secure Cluster-based Multipath Routing protocol for WMSNs, SCMR, to satisfy the requirements of delivering different data types and support high data rate multimedia traffic. SCMR exploits the hierarchical structure of powerful cluster heads and the optimized multiple paths to support timeliness and reliable high data rate multimedia communication with minimum energy dissipation. Also, we present a light-weight distributed security mechanism of key management in order to secure the communication between sensor nodes and protect the network against different types of attacks. Performance evaluation from simulation results demonstrates a significant performance improvement comparing with existing protocols (which do not even provide any kind of security feature) in terms of average end-to-end delay, network throughput, packet delivery ratio, and energy consumption

Application-aware Cognitive Multi-hop Wireless Networking Testbed and Experiments

In this thesis, we present a new architecture for application-aware cognitive multihop wireless networks (AC-MWN) with testbed implementations and experiments. Cognitive radio is a technique to adaptively use the spectrum so that the resource can be used more efficiently in a low cost way. Multihop wireless networks can be deployed quickly and flexibly without a fixed infrastructure. In presented new architecture, we study backbone routing schemes with network cognition, routing scheme with network coding and spectrum adaptation. A testbed is implemented to test the schemes for AC-MWN. In addition to basic measurements, we implement a video streaming application based on the AC-MWN architecture using cognitive radios. The Testbed consists of three cognitive radios and three Linux laptops equipped with GNU Radio and GStreamer, open source software development toolkit and multimedia framework respectively. Resulting experiments include a range from basic half duplex data to full duplex voice communications and audio/video streaming with spectrum sensing. This testbed is a foundation for a scalable multipurpose testbed that can be used to test such networks as AC-MWN, adhoc, MANET, VANET, and wireless sensor networks. Experiment results demonstrate that the AC-MWN is applicable and valuable for future low-cost and flexible communication networks. Adviser: Yi Qia

Enhanced QoS for real-time multimedia delivery over the wireless link using RFID technology.

This thesis presents a Sensor Guided Wireless Adaptation Scheme (SGWAS) that works in a micromobility domain. SGWAS infers the reason of high packet loss in a realtime multimedia flow received by a mobile node in a wireless cell. Determining the reason of packet loss relies on information obtained from wireless sensors, specifically RFID devices scattered in the cell, to detect the location of the mobile node. If packet loss is due to wireless link congestion, then local rate adaptation is applied in the cell. However, if it is due to handoff or signal propagation effects, e.g. obstruction or attenuation, then rate adaptation is not performed. The source adapts its transmission rate if congestion occurs in the wired network. SGWAS helps improve the quality of service and avoids unnecessary rate adaptation. Simulation results demonstrate that SGWAS identifies the reason of high packet loss and performs rate adaptation only when needed.Dept. of Computer Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2006 .E58. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, page: 0352. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2006