Error correction in single-hop wireless sensor networks - A case study

Energy efficient communication is a key issue in wireless sensor networks. Common belief is that a multi-hop configuration is the only viable energy efficient technique. In this paper we show that the use of forward error correction techniques in combination with ARQ is a promising alternative. Exploiting the asymmetry between lightweight sensor nodes and a more powerful base station even advanced techniques known from cellular networks can be efficiently applied to sensor networks. Our investigations are based on realistic power models and real measurements and, thus, consider all side-effects. This is to the best of our knowledge the first investigation of advanced forward error correction techniques in sensor networks which is based on real experiments.