16 February 2011

Review of "Building Wireless Sensor Networks" by Robert Faludi

A curious mix of microhardware cookbook and primer, where tutorials on fundamental radio signals and hexadecimal seem out of place and views on geek culture fit right in.
The text features a comprehensive look at the XBee system (including copious illustrations and pictures) which also touches on the better known Arduino boards. If you are already familiar with circuit wiring, this book may be a refreshing howto guide. If you've never touched a breakout board before, even the in-depth and humor-filled instructions may seem daunting. The books only real failing lies in not teasing up front the many varied projects one can achieve or a sense of what might (or might not) be accomplished on the modest hardware. I liked the depth of content, but the integrated organization might be better served by putting all the theory and sections up front and appending the MAKE-style projects as recipes. An easily overlooked gem!

Check it out at O'Reilly's Web or Amazon.

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