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Reviewer: Dimitrios Katsaros

This book is an invaluable source of information for a relatively young and exciting research area: wireless sensor networks. The authors did an excellent job of compiling the most significant material related to various aspects of sensor networks. Two parts comprise the book. The first part focuses on the architectural design aspects of this type of network. In particular, it introduces the basic hardware components and the energy consumption model of any sensor node, and, consequently, it presents the design principles of the networking architecture. This first part is relatively short, accounting for only 20 percent of the book's volume. The second part covers the other 80 percent of the book, and concentrates on communication protocols for various layers of the architecture. Specifically, it covers issues related to the physical layer (wireless transmission), media access control (MAC) sub-layer, and network and application layers. Within this context, it explains the most prominent approaches and algorithms regarding addressing, localization, positioning topology control, routing information retrieval and dissemination, and security. The book does not have the structure of a classical textbook, analytically explaining the basic terms, concepts, and algorithms with appropriate exercises, nor does it have the structure of an edited book, which is usually made up of independent and often overlapping chapters. Instead, the book lies in between these two extremes. It covers much more material than any textbook would, but all this material is elegantly integrated in such a way that the book achieves a perfect balance between providing a wealth of information and sufficient explanations of its subjects. Clearly, the main strength of the book is the second part. If someone tried to find negative aspects in this book, she or he would definitely mention the absence of appropriate exercises. However, this book is one of the first (if not the very first) in this area that departs from the edited book's perspective and moves one step further, toward creating a textbook. Overall, I believe that this book is a very significant contribution to the literature on wireless sensor networks, and is a must-read for anyone who is involved as a (senior undergraduate or postgraduate) student, researcher, or practitioner in the exciting field of wireless sensor networks. Online Computing Reviews Service

Reviewer: Rita Puzmanova

One of the most exciting areas in the networking field is tackled in this book. The number of applications of tiny sensors interconnected in powerful networks is endless. Unfortunately, the number of solutions—protocols, mechanisms, and algorithms—developed so far is also endless. Therefore, a concise guidebook, serving as a basic reference, is what everyone interested in this area needs. At around 500 pages long, the book covers all aspects related to wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The introduction provides an overview of the vision of ambient intelligence, pervasive and ubiquitous networking, and related challenges reflected in the various sensor network types and applications. The book is then divided into two parts. The first part is dedicated to WSN architectures, and offers a sensor node description (hardware, energy consumption, operating systems, and examples) and sensor network principles (optimization, design, and interfaces). Part 2 concentrates on various protocols related to sensor networking. As for any wireless network, the lowest two open systems interconnection (OSI) layers are the most important in WSNs. Therefore, the reader will learn the physical layer fundamentals (wireless channel, transceiver design), media access control (MAC) protocols, and link layer protocols (responsible for error control, framing, and link management). The only standardized solution, the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless personal area network (WPAN), is briefly described. At the same time, the reader will learn why other much more popular wireless solutions, such as 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) or Bluetooth (802.15.1), are not really suitable for the tasks of WSNs. The networking discussion would never be complete without the following items: naming and addressing conventions, routing protocols, and quality of service (QoS) mechanisms. The principles proposed for WSNs are responsive to the challenging requirements in these generic areas, while other tasks are truly specific to sensor networks, such as location and positioning, and topology control. The remaining two chapters deal with data-centric and content-based networking that relies on data aggregation and storage, advanced in-network processing, and, last but not least, security. The book is complemented with an extensive bibliography. In addition, many subchapters refer readers to other recommended sources for further detail. The text is preceded with an indispensable list of abbreviations. This book is aimed mostly at students (as a coursebook) or young researchers. It is structured and written as a textbook, consisting of brief paragraphs, bulleted lists, and important items in boldface. Most chapters are supported by a list of objectives, an outline, and conclusions. Knowledge of networking and radio communications, mainly WLANs, is necessary for understanding the book. There is no real discussion or comparison of the described solutions’ performance or merit. The authors also emphasize that the area is still very immature and that there are still many topics being researched (the book was written in 2005, although the reviewed version was published as a paperback in 2007 as a reprint with corrections). Although the book tries to cover most WSN topics, there are several that are omitted, such as middleware, management, and modeling. More case studies and examples of real sensor network deployments would have strengthened the book. Online Computing Reviews Service