Scalable emulation of TinyOS applications in heterogeneous network scenarios

Simulating the behavior of sensor applications in a heterogeneous network or under diverse environmental conditions is particularly challenging. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of TiQ^dagger, a scalable framework that allows unmodified TinyOS applications to be evaluated in a diverse set of operating conditions, including heterogeneous networks. We validate TiQ against MoteLab, a physical sensor network testbed, and show that TiQ can predict the behavior of the real network with less than 4% error. Through several case studies, we demonstrate the key benefits of TiQ: (1) it supports a diverse set of scenarios involving heterogeneous networks, mobile data mules, and multiple operating systems, (2) it scales to over a thousand nodes and can simulate such large networks up to 6X faster than comparable simulators, (3) it provides a system to easily validate TinyOS applications, evaluate network designs, and optimize design parameters (e.g., beacon rate) based on individual criteria, and (4) it leverages existing physical layer models in network simulators to provide more accurate simulations.