The present article focuses on advantages of wireless integrated network sensors (WINS). It provides distributed network and Internet access to sensors, controls, and processors deeply embedded in equipment, facilities, and the environment. The WINS network represents a new monitoring and control capability for applications in such industries as transportation, manufacturing, health care, environmental oversight, and safety and security. WINS combine microsensor technology and low-power signal processing, computation, and low-cost wireless networking in a compact system. These physical considerations are making it possible to pursue the innovative design of densely distributed sensor networks and the resulting advantages of layered and heterogeneous processing and networking architectures for related applications. The close intertwining of network processing is a central feature of systems connecting the physical and virtual worlds. Development platforms are now available that will increasingly allow a broader community to engage in fundamental research in networking and new applications, advancing developers and users alike toward truly pervasive computing.