Implementing Wireless Sensor Networks - A Low Cost,Hands-on, Do It Yourself Approach

Moving data wirelessly for monitoring and control can be performed easily and for relatively low cost. The use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is gaining popularity in agriculture. Devices on the market make it simple to design a network to meet many needs.

This 4-hour workshop is intended for those interested in gaining experience in developing wireless sensor applications to meet their individual research needs.

Overview
This workshop will consist of hands-on exercises in configuring and interfacing the Digi XBee® ZigBee®/IEEE 802.15.4 RF Modems. Attendees will explore configuring the XBee to meet various needs and interfacing the device to a microcontroller.

Upon completion of the course, participants will:
·Be able use interface software to configure addressing and other features of the XBee.
·Be able to implement a simple point-to-point network.
·Be able to use point-to-point and broadcast communications.
·Be able to use a terminal program to configure an XBee.
·Be able to retrieve RSSI level and other parameters from the XBee.
·Be able to configure an XBee for automated sensing and data transmission.
·Understand configuration settings for mesh networking.


Participants will also be introduced to microcontroller programming to:
·Send data to an XBee for transmission.
·Accept received data from an XBee.
·Read a variety of sensors as data to be transmitted.
·Accept incoming data to activate an output device.


Content
Content will be delivered through lecture, demonstration, and hands on participation by participants. A limited amount of hardware will be available for attendees to interface to with their own laptops running Windows XP (recommended) or Vista. Good laptop battery life is also recommended.

Real-World Implementations
Real-world applications will be discussed as desired by attendees. CPD instructors, Ralph Tate and Martin Hebel of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, have experience in RF communications and WSN uses for private and research applications.

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