A WiFi based smart wireless sensor network for an agricultural environment : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering

Environmental Monitoring Systems and Sensors systems have increased in importance over the years. However, increases in measurement points mean increases in installation and maintenance cost. Not to mention, the measurement points once they have been built and installed, can be tedious to relocate in the future. Therefore, the purpose of this Masters thesis is to present a project called “A Wi-Fi based Smart Wireless Sensor Network for an Agricultural Environment” which is capable of intelligently monitoring agricultural conditions in a pre-programmed manner. The proposed system consists of three stations: Sensor Node, Router, and Server. To allow for better monitoring of the climate condition in an agricultural environment such as field or greenhouse, the sensor station is equipped with several sensor elements such as Temperature, humidity, light, air pressure, soil moisture and water level. In addition investigation was performed in order to integrate a novel planar electromagnetic sensor for nitrate detection. The communication between the sensor node and the server is achieved via 802.11g wireless modules. The overall system architecture shows advantages in cost, size, flexibility and power. It is believed that the outcomes of the project allow for opportunities to perform further research and development of a Wi-Fi based Wireless Sensor Network that is a portable and flexible type of sensing system for an Agricultural Environment