MotesArt: Wireless Sensor Network for Monitoring Relative Humidity and Temperature in an Art Gallery

Abstract

Artworks in museums and art galleries are significantly affected by temperature and relative humidity (RH) variations. Significant variations in temperature can double the deterioration rate of paper and other canvases. Fluctuating levels of RH cause materials to corrode, shrink, swell, or warp. Monitoring and control of indoor climate conditions is thus crucial in ensuring the preservation of art collections. This study addresses the need for monitoring by designing and implementing a wireless sensor network composed of several specialized sensor nodes dumping temperature and RH readings to a base station computer. Each sensor node is equipped with an ASK transmitter and no ASK receiver. This design allows for lower power consumption and highly simplifies communication between the sensor node and base station. The MAC protocol used for the wireless sensor network is ALOHA without retransmissions. The wireless sensor network is evaluated in terms of cost, range, power consumption and packet error rate.