RE2-CD: Robust and Energy Efficient Cut Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

Reliable network connectivity in wireless sensor networks (WSN) is difficult to achieve. Harsh, unattended, low-security environments and resource-constrained nodes exacerbate the problem. An ability to detect connectivity disruptions, due to either security or environmental problems, allows WSN to conserve power and memory while reducing network congestion. We propose RE-CD, an integrated solution incorporating both robustness to attack and energy-efficiency. To enhance security, a robust outlier detection algorithm assists nodes in detecting a specific threat in their environment. To improve energy-efficiency, a cluster-based cut detection algorithm recognizes and reacts to disrupted connectivity. Extensive simulations across a range of network sizes and densities indicate that energy-efficiency can be improved by an order of magnitude in denser networks while malicious nodes are detected at deviations of 1% from expected behavior.