Abstract
A low cost and energy efficient wireless sensor mote platform for low data rate monitoring applications is presented. The new platform, named DZ50, is based on the ATmega328P micro-controller and the RFM12b transceiver, which consume very low energy in low-power mode. Considerable energy saving can be achieved by reducing the power consumption during inactive (sleep) mode, notably in low data rate applications featured by long inactive periods. Without loss of generality, spot monitoring in a Smart Parking System (SPS) and soil moisture in a Precision Irrigation System (PIS) are selected as typical representative of low data rate applications. The performance of the new platform is investigated for typical scenarios of the selected applications and compared with that of MicaZ and TelosB. Energy measurements have been carried out for different network operation states and settings, where the results reveal that the proposed platform allows to multiply the battery lifetime up to 7 times compared to MicaZ and TelosB motes in 10s sampling period scenarios. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.