A header compression and packet transmission method in a sensor network and an apparatus therefor, for selecting technologies related to Internet Protocol (IP) header compression according to characteristics of each node, and processing the technologies. The header compression and packet transmission method and apparatus therefor distinguishes a node supporting the adaptation layer function and a node that does not support the adaptation layer function, and determines whether to compress the packet, thereby enabling a node transmitting data to transmit the data having a proper form that is acceptable to a sensor node receiving the data. By doing so, an efficient packet transmission is possible.