SeeDTV: Deployment-time validation for wireless sensor networks

Deployment of a wireless sensor network (WSN) system is a critical step because theoretical models and assumptions often differ from real environmental characteristics and performance at the deployment site. In addition, such systems are often located in areas that are difficult to reach or even in-accessible for certain periods of time. Therefore, it is imperative to verify the functionality of the system at the time of the deployment, thus lowering the risk of early failures. Coincidentally, the validation minimizes the expense of revisiting the site in the near future for re-deployment, maintenance, or repairs. In this paper we present a deployment time validation framework SeeDTV that consists of techniques and procedures for WSN status assesment and verification. SeeDTV is supported by a portable, lightweight, and low power in-situ user interface device SeeMote. SeeDTV has demonstrated the potential for early problem detection at three levels of WSN in-situ validation: sensor node devices, wireless network physical and logical integrity, and connectivity to the back-end such as a data server over the Internet. SeeDTV is presented in the context of LUSTER - an environmental sensor network for ecological monitoring under a shrub thicket canopy on islands off the coast of Virginia.