Role of sensor node in Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Sensor Networks consists of a wireless sensor network, all the nodes communicate with each other by means of wireless. Any given node collects information from environment by means of a sensor and forwards it to another node which in turn forwards the information to another node so that the information can reach at the gateway node. It is the gateway node which interfaces between the nodes and the server where all the collected information from all the nodes are stored and further processed [1]. Sensor nodes that are able to interact with their environment by sensing or controlling physical parameter; these nodes have to collaborate in order to fulfill their tasks as usually, a single node is incapable of doing so; and they use wireless communication to enable this collaboration. A sensor is a small device that has a micro-sensor technology, low power signal processing, low power computation and a short-range communications capability. Sensor nodes are conventionally made up of five basic components: Microcontroller, power supply, transceiver unit, memory unit and sensor unit.