On the performance evaluation of query-based wireless sensor networks

We present a queueing-theoretic framework to evaluate the performance of large-scale, query-based wireless sensor networks whose nodes detect and advertise significant events that are useful for only a limited time; queries generated by sensor nodes are also time-limited. The main performance parameter is the steady state proportion of generated queries that fail to be answered on time. Using an infinite transmission range model, we first provide an approximation for this parameter that is insensitive to the size of the network. Subsequently, we approximate the proportion of failed queries when the transmission range is limited and show that this proportion converges to its infinite range counterpart as the sensor transmission range tends to infinity. The analytical approximations are shown to be remarkably accurate when compared with benchmark values obtained using a commercial network simulator.