This paper proposes adaptive error control strategies for wireless sensor networks using informational value of messages. The informational value is based on sensors coverage area. Important packets are protected by more powerful error control schemes than less important packets. BCH codes and retransmission schemes were analyzed using OQPSK modulation in Rayleigh fading channels. The results obtained show that the adaptive schemes improve the reliability of packets with high informational value without a significant increase in the energy consumption. ©2009 IEEE. RIEC Tohoku University,IEEE,IEEE Communications Society,National Institute of Information and,Communications Technology (NiCT)Akyildiz, I.F., Su, W., Sankarasubramaniam, Y., Cayirci, E., A survey on sensor networks (2002) IEEE Communications Magazine, pp. 102-114. , AugustDesset, C., Fort, A., Selection of channel coding for low-power wireless systems Proc. IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, Jeju, Korea, April 2003Howard, S.L., Schlegel, C., Iniewski, K., Error control coding in low-power wireless sensor networks when is ECC energy-efficient? (2006) EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, 2, pp. 1-14. , MarchKarvonen, H., Shelby, Z., Pomala-Ráez, C., Coding for energy efficient wireless embedded networks International Workshop on Wireless Ad-hoc Networks, 2004Kashani, Z.H., Shiva, M., BCH coding and multihop communication in wireless sensor networks Third IEEE IFIP Int. Conference on Wireless and Optical Communications Networks, Bangalore, India, April 2006Kleinschmidt, J.H., Borelli, W.C., Pellenz, M.E., An energy efficiency model for adaptive and custom error control schemes in Bluetooth sensor networks (2009) AEU - International Journal of Electronics and CommunicationsKöpke, A., Karl, H., Löbbers, M., Using energy where it counts: Protecting important messages in the link layer Proc. of the 2 nd European Workshop on Wireless Sensor Networks, Istanbul, Turkey, January 2005Liu, H., Ma, H., El Zarki, M., Gupta, S., Error control schemes for networks: An overview (1997) Mobile Networks and Applications, 2 (2), pp. 167-182Raghunathan, V., Schurgers, C., Park, S., Srivastava, M.B., Energy aware wireless micro sensor networks (2002) IEEE Signal Processing, pp. 40-50. , MarchSankarasubramanian, Y., Akyildiz, I.F., Mc Laughlin, S.W., Energy efficiency based packet size optimization in wireless sensor networks Proc. of Sensor Network Protocols and Applications, Anchorage, USA, May 2003Shelby, Z., Pomalaza-Raez, C., Karvonen, H., Haapola, J., Energy optimization in multihop wireless embedded and sensor networks (2005) International Journal of Wireless Information Networks, 12 (1), pp. 11-21. , DOI 10.1007/s10776-005-5166-1Sklar, B., (1995) Digital Communications, , Prentice-HallVuran, M.C., Akyildiz, I.F., Cross-layer analysis of error control in wireless sensor networks (2006) IEEE SECONZorzi, M., Rao, R.R., Coding tradeoffs for reduced energy consumption in sensor networks IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications, Barcelona, Spain, September 2004