1 Wireless Integrated Network Sensors ( WINS ) : The Web gets Physical

Wireless Integrated Network Sensors (WINS) provide distributed network and Internet access to sensors, controls, and processors embedded in equipment, facilities, and the environment. WINS combine sensor technology, signal processing, computation, and wireless networking capability in an integrated system. Integrated circuit technology now enables construction of sensors, radios, and processors at low cost and with low power consumption, enabling mass production of sophisticated but compact systems that will link the physical world to networks [1-4]. Scales will range from local to global, with applications including medicine, security, factory automation, environmental monitoring, and condition-based maintenance. Compact geometry and low cost allows WINS to be embedded and distributed at a small fraction of the cost of conventional wireline sensor and actuator systems. This can enable hundreds or thousands of sensors per user, resulting in many new network design challenges.