Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost and Low-Power Wireless Sensor Network for Estuary Environmental Monitoring

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks have become essential tools for environmental monitoring, enabling distributed data acquisition in remote and dynamic environments. However, challenges related to communication reliability, energy efficiency, synchronization, and real-time data availability remain critical for long-term deployments. This work presents the design, implementation, and validation of a synchronous wireless sensor network tailored for environmental monitoring in the challenging conditions of an estuarine setting. The proposed architecture is based on Digi XBee SX 868 RF modules operating in DigiMesh mode with synchronized cyclic sleep, enabling coordinated measurements and low-power operation. The network comprises monitoring, repeater, and coordinator/gateway nodes, integrated with a web-based platform for real-time data visualization and management. A custom message exchange format was developed to support seamless transmission of monitoring information from sensors to the web server through the wireless mesh infrastructure. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate network coverage, synchronization performance, communication reliability, and energy consumption. The results demonstrated successful multi-hop communication over the estuarine area, stable synchronization among distributed nodes over extended periods, and energy savings through synchronized sleep operation. The developed web platform enabled reliable real-time data access and network management. The proposed system demonstrates the feasibility of deploying scalable, energy-efficient, and synchronized wireless sensor networks for long-term environmental monitoring in estuarine environments.