An intermittent wireless communication system has been developed for low-power sensor networks that improves sensor network efficiency by promoting cooperative optimization among the hardware architecture, communication protocol, and multiple access scheme. The intermittent communication protocol together with hardware for intermittent function contributed to reduce power consumption and extended sensor-node battery lifetime. A multiple access scheme based on the R-ALOHA protocol is used for the wireless link; it works efficiently with the protocol and hardware. Due to its inter-layer optimization, the system has low power consumption regardless of the traffic load and is thus flexible enough to support a wide range of sensor network applications.