Testbed architecture and framework for debugging wireless sensor networks

The Internet of Things has emerged as one of the key aspects for the future of the Wireless Sensor Networks and their impact on new applications in real environments. This concept poses new challenges in the implementation, testing and debugging of efficient, robust and reliable technologies under this paradigm, specially in a pre-deployment stage where HW-SW platform prototypes are to be optimized prior to their inclusion in actual deployments. In this work, the design and implementation of a complete testbed infrastructure as a support tool for improving the effectiveness and the applicability of sensor nodes to real systems is presented, focused on the modular architecture of the Cookie platform and aiming to help developers to integrate and improve the whole WSN operation to final real-world scenarios

Data collection and transmission for leisure time boats : based on Arduino WSNs and LTE

There has been an astonishing research development in the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in the last decade. A large number of low power capacity devices have been implemented in different vehicles, where sensor nodes act as a team to monitor the environment and forecast the potential defects. In this thesis, we aim to design a data collection system using a WSN on a leisure boat in order to monitor and maintain the boat after sale. The designed system aims to collect data from different sensors on board using WSNs and transmits the collected data to a remote server through cellular network. For the WSNs part, we select a low-power driven Adruino Lilypad as a controller and a XBee interface as transceiver for each sensor node in order to provide a reliable data collection mechanism with a low amount of power consumption. Furthermore, to upload the collected data to a remote server, we adopt a 3G/LTE cellular network for the long range wireless communication. We utilize a PandaBoard as a gateway to connect the WSN and the 3G/LTE network. The designed network is implemented and tested in a lab scenario at university and on a Marex boat along the coast

JamLab: Augmenting Sensornet Testbeds with Realistic and Controlled Interference Generation

Radio interference drastically affects the performance of sensor-net communications, leading to packet loss and reduced energy-efficiency. As an increasing number of wireless devices operates on the same ISM frequencies, there is a strong need for understanding and debugging the performance of existing sensornet protocols under interference. Doing so requires a low-cost flexible testbed infrastructure that allows the repeatable generation of a wide range of interference patterns. Unfortunately, to date, existing sensornet testbeds lack such capabilities, and do not permit to study easily the coexistence problems between devices sharing the same frequencies. This paper addresses the current lack of such an infrastructure by using off-the-shelf sensor motes to record and playback interference patterns as well as to generate customizable and repeat-able interference in real-time. We propose and develop JamLab: a low-cost infrastructure to augment existing sensornet testbeds with accurate interference generation while limiting the overhead to a simple upload of the appropriate software. We explain how we tackle the hardware limitations and get an accurate measurement and regeneration of interference, and we experimentally evaluate the accuracy of JamLab with respect to time, space, and intensity. We further use JamLab to characterize the impact of interference on sensornet MAC protocols

Methodology to Evaluate WSN Simulators: Focusing on Energy Consumption Awareness

ISBN: 978-1-925953-09-1International audienceNowadays, there exists a large number of available network simulators, that differ in their design, goals, and characteristics. Users who have to decide which simulator is the most appropriate for their particular requirements, are today lost, faced with a panoply of disparate and diverse simulators. Hence, it is obvious the need for establishing guidelines that support users in the tasks of selecting and customizing a simulator to suit their preferences and needs. In previous works, we proposed a generic and novel methodological approach to evaluate network simulators, considering a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria. However, it lacks criteria related to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). Thus, the aim of this work is three fold: (i) extend the previous proposed methodology to include the evaluation of WSN simulators, such as energy consumption modelling and scalability; (ii) elaborate a study of the state of the art of WSN simulators, with the intention of identifying the most used and cited in scientific articles; and (iii) demonstrate the suitability of our novel methodology by evaluating and comparing three of the most cited simulators. Our novel methodology provides researchers with an evaluation tool that can be used to describe and compare WSN simulators in order to select the most appropriate one for a given scenario

An indoor test methodology for solar-powered wireless sensor networks

Repeatable and accurate tests are important when designing hardware and algorithms for solar-powered wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Since no two days are exactly alike with regard to energy harvesting, tests must be carried out indoors. Solar simulators are traditionally used in replicating the effects of sunlight indoors - however, solar simulators are expensive, have lighting elements that have short lifetimes, and are usually not designed to carry out the types of tests that hardware and algorithm designers require. As a result, hardware and algorithm designers use tests that are inaccurate and not repeatable (both for others and also for the designers themselves). In this article we propose an indoor test methodology which does not rely on solar simulators. The test methodology has its basis in astronomy and photovoltaic (PV) cell design. We present a generic design for a test apparatus which can be used in carrying out the test methodology. We also present a specific design which we use in implementing an actual test apparatus. We test the efficacy of our test apparatus and, to demonstrate the usefulness of the test methodology, perform experiments akin to those required in projects involving solar-powered WSNs. Results of the said tests and experiments demonstrate that the test methodology is an invaluable tool for hardware and algorithm designers working with solar-powered WSNs

Testbed infrastructure for debugging, analyzing and optimizing WSN nodes based on a modular HW-SW architecture

The Internet of Things has emerged as one of the key aspects to the future of the Wireless Sensor Networ ks and their impact in new applications in real environments. This concept poses new challenges in the implementation, testing and assessment of efficient, robust and reliable technologies and prototypes under this paradigm. In this way, the run-time remote interaction with the deployment of hundreds of in-f ield nodes in which developers have to be able to control and manage the wireless network anywhere at any time also implies new objectives to be achieved in order to adapt or even create new HW-SW platforms. In this work, the design and implementation of a complete testbed infrastructure as a support tool for improving the effectiveness and the applicability of sensor nodes to real applications is presented, focused on the m odular architecture of the Cookie hardware platform and aiming to help developers to integrate and optimize the whole WSN system to the final applications in the real world

Artificial Reconfigurable Wireless Network Optimization Based On Battery Levels

A Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) was developed, along with a testbed that could evaluate the system under scrutiny on energy consumption parameters. The development of an artificial reconfigurable wireless network optimization routing protocol based on battery levels was created in a lab environment where certain variables were controllable. This study focused on measuring energy of a network based on different routing protocols. To capture data, physical batteries were replaced with a power source that was developed to capture the energy usage of each node in the system simultaneously. The development of a system that could test the energy consumed by a WSN was one part of the study, whilst the important part was to be able to analyse energy consumed by a network as a whole. Analysing a WSN by capturing data based on routing topology formed a conclusion based on data that was captured in the lab. Different packet sizes, TX power levels and routing protocols were tested in this dissertation on a custom developed testbed. Results did show a predictable outcome clearly indicating different energy consumptions per topology

SmartSantander: IoT experimentation over a smart city testbed

This paper describes the deployment and experimentation architecture of the Internet of Things experimentation facility being deployed at Santander city. The facility is implemented within the SmartSantander project, one of the projects of the Future Internet Research and Experimentation initiative of the European Commission and represents a unique in the world city-scale experimental research facility. Additionally, this facility supports typical applications and services of a smart city. Tangible results are expected to influence the definition and specification of Future Internet architecture design from viewpoints of Internet of Things and Internet of Services. The facility comprises a large number of Internet of Things devices deployed in several urban scenarios which will be federated into a single testbed. In this paper the deployment being carried out at the main location, namely Santander city, is described. Besides presenting the current deployment, in this article the main insights in terms of the architectural design of a large-scale IoT testbed are presented as well. Furthermore, solutions adopted for implementation of the different components addressing the required testbed functionalities are also sketched out. The IoT experimentation facility described in this paper is conceived to provide a suitable platform for large scale experimentation and evaluation of IoT concepts under real-life conditions.This work is funded by research project SmartSantander, under FP7-ICT-2009-5 of the 7th Framework Programme of the European Community. Authors would like to acknowledge the collaboration with the rest of partners within the consortium leading to the results presented in this paper