Deploying sensor networks with guaranteed capacity and fault tolerance

Abstract

We consider the problem of deploying or repairing a sensor network to guarantee a specified level of multi-path connectivity (k-connectivity) between all nodes. Such a guarantee simultaneously provides fault tolerance against node failures and high capacity through multi-path routing. We design and analyze the first algorithms that place an almost-minimum number of additional sensors to augment an existing network into a k-connected network, for any desired parameter k. Our algorithms have provable guarantees on the quality of the solution. Specifically, we prove that the number of additional sensors is within a constant factor of the absolute minimum, for any fixed k. We have implemented greedy and distributed versions of this algorithm, and demonstrate in simulation that they produce high-quality placements for the additional sensors. We are also in the process of using our algorithms to deploy nodes in a physical sensor network using a mobile robot.