Rajshree S. Dubey et al.

/ International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology

Vol. 2 (12), 2010, 7395-7400

Challenges for Quality of Service (QoS) in

Wireless Sensor Networks
RAJSHREE S. DUBEY1,
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya
Sagar Institute of Research & Technology-Excellence
Assistant Prof., Dept. of CSE, Bhopal- 462041, India
[email protected],

RAJNISH CHOUBEY2 ,
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya
Thakral College of Technology
Assistant Prof., Dept. of CSE, Bhopal- 462021, India
[email protected]

AMIT DUBEY3
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya
Thakral College of Technology
Assistant Prof., Dept. of CSE, Bhopal- 462021, India
[email protected]

Abstract- A wireless sensor network is a special network with large numbers of nodes consisting embedded processors,
sensors, and radios. These nodes cooperate to achieve a common goal or perform a common task such as environment
monitoring or asset tracking. A lot of research has been done in the area of routing techniques and power consumption in
sensor network but real-time communication with the Quality of Service (QoS) concept in wireless sensor networks is still
unexplored. Most protocols either ignore real time or simply attempt to process as fast as possible. QoS in wireless sensor
networks can be characterized by reliability, timeliness, robustness, availability, and security between all others. Recently,
the design of sensor networks has become very important, due to several civil and military applications. Emerging sensor
applications include habitat monitoring, pollution detection, weather forecasting, and monitoring disasters such as
earthquakes, fires, and floods. In these new areas, similar to normal IP networks, there is real-time and non-real-time
traffic in the sensor networks. Each type of traffic requires a different treatment from the network to meet the objective
QoS (Quality of Service). Queuing and scheduling have a direct impact on QoS characteristics. Many excellent protocols
have already been developed for ad-hoc networks but providing QoS guarantees for real time traffic in sensor networks
are still very immature.

Keywords: QoS, 3GPP, GSM, Routing, Queuing.

1. Introduction

Sensor networks have different constraints than traditional wired networks. First, the nodes in sensor networks are
likely to be battery powered, and it is often very difficult to change the batteries for all of the nodes, as energy-
conserving forms of communication and computation are essential to wireless sensor networks. Second, since
sensors have limited computing power, they may not be able to run sophisticated network protocols. Third, since the
bandwidth of the wireless links connecting sensor nodes is often limited, inter-sensor communication is further
constrained. Finally, because sensor networks are often deployed by a single organization with inexpensive
hardware, there is typically less need for interoperability with existing standards. Sensor networking is a challenging
research area that draws on contributions from signal processing, networking and protocols, databases and
information management, distributed algorithms, embedded systems, and architecture and QoS [1,3]. The self-
organization technique of sensor networks renders it possible to set up nodes randomly over a wide area being

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Vol. 2 (12), 2010, 7395-7400

monitored, such as by dropping them from an aircraft. The self-organization feature of sensor networks includes
both communications self-organization and positioning self-organization [7]. In this manner, a large number of
sensor nodes are spread over the environment, without having prior information about the placement of each
individual sensor [12]. Sensor nodes have a short transmission range due to their limited radio capabilities.
Therefore, the data must be relayed using intermediate nodes towards the sink. In addition, it may be advantageous
to use a multi-hop path, consisting of shorter links rather than a single long connection, to the sink node. The area of
sensor network quality of service (QoS) remains largely open. This is a rich area for research, because sensor deaths
and sensor replenishments make it difficult to specify the optimum number of sensors that should be sending
information at any given time [15]. The available energy of the sensor nodes is the most critical resource in the
sensor network. The limitation of the energy source is the battery, but this is the only source of power for the nodes,
which can supply the sensor with energy. The sensors cannot operate with exhausted batteries. Moreover, since
sensor nodes behave as relay nodes for data propagation of other sensors to sink nodes, network connectivity
decreases gradually. This may result in disconnected sub-networks of sensors. Therefore, the level of power
consumption must be considered at each stage of a wireless sensor network’s design. Future military applications
will increasingly feature communication scenarios involving a data-gathering or intelligence-gathering wireless
sensor network. Several survey papers are presented with intense background research on sensor networks [17, 18,
19].

2.Challenges and Role of QoS in wireless sensor networks

Several protocols and algorithms have been proposed for routing QoS in wire based networks [23-24]. However,
they cannot be directly applied to wireless networks due to the inherent characteristics that distinguish the two types
of networks [13]. In addition, the nature of sensor networks poses unique challenges compared to general wireless
networks and, thus, requires special attention. The type of target application can play an important role for QoS in
wireless sensor networks. QoS in wireless sensor networks can be characterized by reliability, timeliness,
robustness, availability, and security between all others [1]. The throughput, delay, jitter, and packet loss rate are the
most fundamental parameters [10, 2] and may be used to measure the degree of satisfaction of these services.

3. Related Work

Communication systems have been studied as a network of queues over the past years. H. Takagi introduced a
standard notation for classifying queuing systems into different types [29]. Systems are described by the notation-
Distribution of inter-arrival times of customers (packets), Distribution of service times, Number of Servers,
Maximum total number of customers (packets) that can be accommodated in the system, calling population size.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops specifications for a 3G system based on the UTRA
(Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) radio interface and the enhanced GSM core network [6, 5]. The main
objectives are to provide GSM with higher bit-rates, add different QoS classes for packet data, and contribute
simultaneous usage of both circuit- and packet-switched services. The Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System (UMTS) is envisioned as the successor to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). UMTS
signals the move into the third generation (3G) of mobile networks. UMTS also addresses the growing demand of
mobile and Internet applications for new capacity in the overcrowded mobile communications sky. This new
network increases transmission speed to 2 Mbps per mobile user and establishes a global roaming standard [16]. The
basic polling model is a queuing model composed of a set of queues and a single server that serves the queues in
cyclical order [25]. Polling models have been used in a variety of contexts since the 1960s. The advent of computer
communication networks and digital communication opened up new applications for polling models. For example,
over the last two decades, polling models have been studied extensively to analyse the performance of Local Area
Networks (LANs) employing different forms of token passing [27].

4. Multiple Classes of Traffic and Support

Recently, the design of sensor networks has become very important, due to several civil and military applications.
Emerging sensor applications include habitat monitoring, pollution detection, weather forecasting, and monitoring
disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. In these new areas, similar to normal IP networks, there is real-time
and non-real-time traffic in the sensor networks. Each type of traffic requires a different treatment from the network
to meet the objective QoS (Quality of Service). Queuing and scheduling have a direct impact on QoS characteristics.

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Vol. 2 (12), 2010, 7395-7400

Different types of queuing tools, such as Priority Queuing (PQ), Custom Queuing (CQ) [3], Weighted Fair Queuing
(WFQ), Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ) [4] and Low Latency Queuing (LLQ), have been developed
to provide different services to heterogeneous traffic classes [11]. The communication between sensor nodes in a
sensor network that builds a cluster depends on a number of factors, such as communication range, number and type
of sensors, and geographical location. The efficiency of the network itself depends on the sink location, which
directly affects the lifetime of the sensor network. Every cluster has a sink node that is responsible for managing the
sensors in the cluster. However, the sensors within a cluster communicate with the sink via short-range wireless
communication links, as illustrated in Figure. The sensor nodes need elegant and uncomplicated queuing techniques,
since they usually work as small routers. The implementation of Priority Queuing (PQ) in a sensor node. The M/G/1
queuing system is exploited to calculate the queuing delay for two different kinds of traffic in a sensor node.

The existence of heterogeneous sets of sensors creates challenges for multiple traffic QoS support. For example,
several applications may require a diverse combination of sensors for monitoring temperature, pressure, and
humidity of the surrounding environment; detecting motion via sound signatures; and capturing the images of
moving objects.

Figure: Multi-link clustered network sensors

To overcome the limitations of the FIFO queuing discipline, Priority Queuing (PQ) is suggested as one of the
applicable solutions to meet the desired QoS for real-time traffic. In this work, two queues in a sensor node are
considered: high-priority and low-prior here, the scheduler uses strict priority logic. That is, it always serves the
high-priority queue first. If there is no packet waiting in the high-priority queue, it will serve the low-priority queue.
In this technique, the scheduler of the sensor node is serving different output queues, simultaneously and, hence, is
behaving similarly to a multiple-queue/single server system.

Figure: The queuing model in sensor networks

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5. Guaranteed QOS through Limited Service Polling Models

Micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), digital electronics, and wireless communication have enabled the
development of a new generation of large-scale sensor networks, in which small nodes communicate with each other
over short distances with low-power consumption. These networks are suitable for a wide range of applications [22-
21, 20].Recently; the design of sensor networks has become more important, due to several civil and military
applications. Emerging sensor applications include habitat monitoring, pollution detection, weather forecasting, and
monitoring disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. Just like a normal IP network, a wireless sensor networks
also has real-time and non-real-time applications, each requiring a different kind of treatment from the network in
terms of QoS. The communication between sensor nodes in a sensor network that builds a cluster depends on a
number of factors, such as communication range, number and type of sensors, and geographic location. The
efficiency of the network itself depends on the sink location, which directly affects the lifetime of the sensor
network. Every cluster has a sink node that is responsible for managing the sensors in the cluster. The sensors within
a cluster communicate with the sink via short-range wireless communication. The sensor nodes need elegant and
uncomplicated queuing techniques, as they usually work as small routers. In many applications, sensor data must be
delivered with time constraints to make appropriate real-time actions possible [9].

6. Polling Models

Over the last two decades, the polling model has been studied extensively to analyse the performance of Local Area
Networks (LANs) employing different forms of token passing [21, 27]. The basic polling model is a queuing model
composed of a set of queues and a single server that serves the queues in a cyclical order [26]. The exact details of
the systems are beyond the scope of this paper. Instead, readers are referred to [28] for a detailed discussion of
polling systems. This paper briefly explains only the limited-service polling model, because it is related to our
system. In the limited-service system, a queue is served until either:
- The buffer is emptied, or
-A specified number of packets are served, whichever occurs first. If, at most, k packets are served in one cycle, it is
referred to as a k-limited polling model.
The case in which k = 1 results in a simpler model, referred to as a 1-limited polling model, in which the server
serves one packet from each queue in an alternating fashion during each cycle.

Figure : k-limited polling model in a sensor node

7. Constraints in Designing Multiple Level Stateless Protocol

Wireless communication, applications and/or underlying technologies, are among today's most dynamic areas of
technology development. Sensor networks can be assumed as distributed computing platforms with many severe
constraints, including limited CPU speed, small memory size, low power constraints, and narrow bandwidth. They
are suitable for a wide range of civil and military applications . Sensor networks offer new challenges from two
perspectives: (1) building communication protocols and (2) developing appropriate queuing and scheduling models.
These challenges occur due to their large scale, independent operations, and extraordinarily parallel connections
with a spatially distributed physical environment as well as a more strict set of resource constraints. Data gathering
in a timely and reliable fashion has been a key concern here. Wireless sensor networks particularly related to
military applications and time critical applications. Since sensor networks represent a new generation of time critical
applications include habitat monitoring, pollution detection, weather forecasting, and monitoring disasters, it is often
necessary for communication to meet real time constraints. However, researches dealing with providing QoS
guarantees for real time traffic in sensor networks are still very immature. Many excellent protocols have already
been developed for ad-hoc networks. They can be categorized into two groups: (1) flat routing and (2) hierarchical
routing.

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In flat routing, all routes have equal responsibility for maintaining the routing information. Routing algorithms in
this category can be further classified into three groups: (1) Proactive, (2) Reactive, and (3) Geographical [14].

8. Conclusion

Wireless Sensor Networks can be assumed as distributed computing platforms with many severe constraints,
including limited CPU speed, small memory size, low power constraints, and narrow bandwidth. Transmission of
data in Wireless Sensor Networks with imaging and video sensors, requires both energy- and QoS-aware network
management in order to ensure efficient usage of the sensor resources and effective access to the gathered
measurements.

Wireless Sensor Networks have applications include habitat monitoring, pollution detection, weather forecasting,
and monitoring disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. Just like a normal IP network, a wireless sensor
networks also has real-time and non-real-time applications, each requiring a different kind of treatment from the
network in terms of QoS. Queuing and scheduling have a direct impact on QoS characteristics different types of
queuing tools, such as Priority Queuing (PQ), Custom Queuing (CQ), Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ), Class-Based
Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ) and Low Latency Queuing (LLQ), have been developed to provide different
services to heterogeneous traffic classes.

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