## 3 Communication Technologies and Wireless Sensors Networks
### Standards and Protocols
#### 3.2.2 Wireless Protocols
Given the absence of wired high-speed internet access in these rural areas, electric companies (vital components of CI) are turning to wireless sensor and mesh networks (WSMN) for communication over extensive distances. Nodes within the rural electric grids utilize WirelessHART to transmit information back to the central SCADA controller. Lastly, study [61] highlights WirelessHART signalling as the predominant digital communication technology in process control industries, boasting over 40 million deployed devices. It emphasizes the growing challenges, particularly in anticipation of the exponential WirelessHART expansion projected until 2028, especially within sectors like oil, gas, chemical, and power generation. * 6 LowPAN  
[PERSON] [62] explains the range of 6 LowPAN from smart home to critical infrastructure and studies the enhancement of IoT network security against routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks (RPL) attacks. It highlights the vulnerability of IoT networks to various RPL attacks, like HELLO flood, version number, and rank attacks. The paper proposes a mutual authentication scheme to protect the network from these threats. The proposed method is evaluated for its effectiveness in mitigating these attacks,focusing on power consumption and network performance. The results demonstrate that the scheme effectively blocks unauthenticated nodes and improves network performance. On the whole, wireless communication technologies play significant roles (as addressed in the referenced literature), showing various advantages and disadvantages in their use. In his study [63], [PERSON] highlights several benefits of wireless networks compared with traditional ones, including ease and speed of installation, superior mobility, efficiency, and the elimination of the need for hubs and switches. [PERSON], in his research [64], gives additional advantages such as low cost-effectiveness and the potential for extensive network coverage expansion. [PERSON], in his work [65], states that wireless networks are distinguished by their quick deployment time and the ability to incorporate a larger number of sensors compared with wired networks. These insights collectively underscore the growing relevance and utility of wireless technologies in various applications. In Figure 4, a comparative presentation of the referenced wireless communication protocols' features is displayed. Figure 4 illustrates the distinct characteristics of each wireless communication protocol, making it clear why a specific WSN must be developed to meet the unique needs of different infrastructures. No single protocol effectively covers all scenarios. For instance, 5G offers high data rates but incurs higher costs due to frequency band commitments. LoRa, while cost-effective and capable of long-range coverage, is limited by its use only in industrial, scientific, and medical bands (ISM bands), with a lower data rate of 50 kbps impacting its versatility. Similarly, ZigBee boasts a higher data rate but cannot cover extensive distances and has a higher power consumption. This interplay of advantages and disadvantages  
Figure 4: Comparison of protocols. across all protocols underscores the importance of precise study and design for the optimal configuration of a WSN.