Structural　health　monitoring　systems　are　conceived　to　automatically　monitor　the　structural　health　state　in　real-time.　The　high-cost　and　the　labor　intensive　installation　of　wired　monitoring　system　suggest　that　structural　monitoring　systems　be　realized　of　a　wireless　nature.　This　study　explores　the　development　of　a　general　and　high-performance　wireless　data　acquisition　system　(WDAQS)　specifically　designed　for　sensors　commonly　adopted　in　structural　health　monitoring　applications.When　compared　with　wired　sensor　technology,　wireless　sensor　technology　suffers　limited　energy　supply,　long　data　collection　delay,　big　noise　floor,　and　data　loss.　Addressing　these　issues,　in　the　design　of　the　WDAQS,　several　features　are　pursued,　including　flexible　sensor　interfaces,　high　power　efficiency,　low-noise　data　acquisition,　and　real-time　and　lossless　data　transmissions.　The　design　of　the　system　is　presented　in　detail　in　terms　of　hardware,　firmware,　and　software.　Several　experiments　are　carried　out　to　validate　and　evaluate　the　system.　The　results　show　that　the　WDAQS　is　able　to　acquire　high-quality　data.　Copyright　©　2013　John　Wiley　&　Sons,　Ltd.