Encryption-based access control for building management

The vision of ubiquitous computing is a network of small, inexpensive, robust processing devices, distributed throughout everyday life. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are an essential part to realize this dream. Sensor Networks can be seen as sources of input, delivering data from the real world into the digital world. Wireless sensors have the advantage of lower installation costs and ease of deployment compared with wired sensors. Low cost often arises as a requirement to justify the adoption of WSN technology for particular business scenarios: this results in sensors often being simple devices, with limited computing and transmitting power as well as limited battery capacity. In addition to technical challenges (e.g. data routing from the sensor nodes to the business applications, data processing, filtering), the integration of WSNs with business applications raises security issues. Although each business application has its own specific security requirements, a controlled access to sensor data, from its production at sensor nodes to its use at business applications is a general requirement.