Hybrid MAC Layer Design for MPEG-4 Video Transmission in WSN

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been attracting increasing interest lately from the research community and industry. The main reason for such interest is the fact that WSNs are considered a promising means of low power and low cost communication that can be easily deployed. Nowadays, the advanced protocol design in WSNs has enhanced their capability to transfer video in the wireless medium. In this chapter, a comprehensive study of Medium Access Control (MAC) and MPEG-4 video transmission is presented. Various classifications of MAC protocols are explained such as random access, schedule access, and hybrid access. In addition, a hybrid MAC layer protocol design is proposed, which combines Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) and unsynchronized Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) protocols using a token approach protocol. The main objective of this chapters is to present the design of a MAC layer that can support video transfer between nodes at low power consumption and achieve the level of quality of service (QoS) required by video applications.