Reliable wireless sensor networks topology control for critical internet of things applications

Abstract

One of the important topics that have been extensively studied in the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) literature is Temporal Topology Control (TTC). TTC is used as a tool to manage the sleep/wake cycles of sensor nodes (SNs) in dense WSNs (i.e. WSNs characterized by a high level of SN redundancy), whether deployed in a planned or a random fashion. The primary objectives of existing TTC protocols (TTCPs) are maximizing WSN lifetime and minimizing packet collision in the network. However, due to their significant communication and processing overhead, existing TTCPs can be slow in reacting to potential SN failures and hence are not suitable for WSNs serving critical Internet of Things applications where the reliability of WSN operation is a major concern. In this paper, we propose a TTCP targeted for reliable WSN deployments. The proposed protocol is based on the assumption that the WSN deployment is composed of a number of disjoint connected-covers. We implement the proposed protocol using a network simulator and apply the proposed protocol on different deployment scenarios. We present and discuss the experimental results in terms of two protocol performance metrics: the incurred overhead and the time required to detect and repair the functionality of the WSN due to potential SN failures. The factors which affect these performance metrics are also highlighted.