A multichannel code distribution protocol for remote reprogramming in WSNs

In view of the problem of low efficiency and high energy consumption in remote reprogramming in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), this paper presents a code distribution protocol based on multi-channel diffusion mechanism (MDM). In MDM, the network nodes classify the 16 channels in 2.4 GHz band by energy scanning, and then it selects an optimal channel to forward the code images by a specific channel selection mechanism. MDM achieves a number of adjacent nodes in a network transmit code images in different channels simultaneously. Furthermore, from the perspective of energy saving, MDM also introduces a sleep strategy for forwarding nodes. Simulation results demonstrate that MDM improves the efficiency and reduces the energy consumption of remote reprogramming in WSNs compared with other code distribution protocols, and moreover, it settles the problem of hidden terminal; with the increasing in the number of nodes and node spacing, optimization is obvious.