earticle

영어

Wireless underground sensor networks (WUSN) are a promising new technology for monitoring soil information with a high spatial and temporal resolution for large areas. However, the significantly high attenuation caused by soil is the main challenge for the feasibility of WUSN. Recent theoretical results highlight the potential of smaller attenuation rates with the use of smaller radio frequencies. In this paper, experimental measurements have been conducted with commodity sensor nodes at the frequency of 433 MHz. Experiments are run to examine the received signal strength of correctly received packets and the packet error rate for a communication link. The tests show the potential feasibility of the WUSN with the use of powerful RF transceivers at 433MHz frequency. Moreover, we also illustrate a classification for wireless underground sensor network communication. Finally, we conclude that the effects of burial depth, inter-node distance and volumetric water content of the soil on the signal strength and packet error rate.