Wide area ubiquitous network: the network operator's view of a sensor network

Abstract

This article describes a network concept called the wide area ubiquitous network (WAUN) and its research activities. WAUN is a network for sensors and actuators, and can support low-end wireless terminals, which are expected to be used for new applications. Among the many types of R&D being performed in the WAUN project, this article focuses on the feasibility of its basic feature and target. The basic feature is "wide coverage using very-low-power-consumption terminals," and its specific target is a "5-km cell radius using 10-mW transmission power terminals with a battery life of 10 years." The results of a basic field experiment and a laboratory experiment suggest that the target seems to be feasible using wireless technologies such as diversity reception (with additional future effort to improve the packet error rate for use in business districts) and LSI technologies such as a power switch fabricated in a CMOS/SOI LSI.