Comparison of current sensors for power consumption assessment of wireless sensors network nodes

In this paper, a detailed study on the applicability of various current sensor technologies and the corresponding measurement accuracy for power consumption characterization of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) nodes is presented and discussed. This study is useful to plan strategies to increase the life of the network and to plan the replacement of the sensor node before a failure occurs. Power consumption management of WSN is aimed to maximize the lifetime of the network within given power constraint. In this context, each node should operate in order to ensure the highest energy efficiency without energy waste. In particular, transmission and reception often are the most consuming tasks in a wireless sensor node and must be properly characterized to maximize the WSN performance.