Wireless Sensor Networking for “Hot” Applications: Effects of Temperature on Signal Strength, Data Collection and Localization

We measured the attenuation of signal strength for Telosclass motes between 25 °C to 65 °C, with a maximum loss of 8 dB at 65 °C. A linear model for the combined reduction of the transmit power and receiver sensitivity is presented, which suggests significant impact on the transmission range and network services. Path loss and link budget analysis indicate a communication range reduction of up to 60%. Network simulations show that the maximum range reduction severely decreases average node connectivity and disrupts multihop data collection. When the received signal strength (RSS) values are used for localization without temperature compensation, ranging error increases by up to 150%. Moreover, Cramér-Rao Bound (CRB) analysis shows that even when the RSS values are compensated, localization errors increase as a result of reduced connectivity.