Performance Measurements of Mote Sensor Networks

In this paper we investigate the performance of mica2 and mica2dot Berkeley motes by means of an extensive experimental analysis. This study is aimed at analyzing the main elements that characterize the performance of a sensor network, e.g., power consumption in different operating conditions, impact of weather conditions, interference between neighboring nodes, etc. Even if the analysis is related to a specific technology it provides some general useful information. Specifically, we found that the transmission range of mote sensor nodes decreases significantly in the presence of fog or rain. We also investigate the interference between neighboring nodes and, based on the experimental results, we propose a channel model for mote sensor nodes. This model is very similar to the channel model of IEEE 802.11 networks.