On QoS guarantees of error control schemes for data dissemination in a chain-based wireless sensor networks

Time-critical applications of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) demand timely data delivery for fast identification of out-of-ordinary situations and fast and reliable delivery of notification and warning messages. Due to the low reliable links in WSNs, achieving real-time guarantees and providing reliable data is quite challenging. Reliable data dissemination is traditionally performed by applying error control mechanisms. However, these mechanisms are not always suitable for time critical applications of WSNs, in which packet burst loss occurs. In this paper, we compare different error control schemes in terms of their reliability, energy efficiency and real-timeness guarantees to assess the appropriateness of each method facing different conditions. Additionally, we introduce and evaluate an enhanced version of a real-time error control scheme, called READ-MN, in terms of its Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees.