Dual-Beacon mobile-node discovery in sparse wireless sensor networks

In sparse wireless sensor networks data collection is typically accomplished through specialized mobile nodes. One of the main challenges to be faced in this kind of networks is the energy-efficient and timely discovery of mobile nodes. In this paper we propose a simple yet effective discovery protocol based on two different Beacon messages emitted by the mobile node (i.e., Long-Range Beacons and Short-Range Beacons). Our simulation results show that, although very simple, the proposed scheme can provide a significant energy reduction with respect to the commonly used scheme based on a single Beacon, especially if the discovery phase is long.