Design and Implementation of Wireless Sensor Network Using Virtual Instruments and ZigBee Communication Protocol

In this dissertation, a wireless network of sensors was implemented for the monitoring of physical variables, consisting of a software-hardware platform in keeping with the design model of virtual instruments. The communication protocols used were RS232 and ZigBee; the network is made up of various modules, each one consisting of five sensors and one Zigbee transmitter. These modules, in turn, communicate wirelessly with a ZigBee receiver module that is linked up to the RS232 port of a personal computer that administers the entire system. In developing the software, we used a object-oriented programming paradigm, Java programming language, the LINUX operating system, all of which are open source; this, together with the electronic elements used, makes for a low-cost system that can be used for industrial purposes by both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) enhancing both their productivity as well as their competitiveness.