Assuring system reliability in wireless sensor networks via verification and validation

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely used for monitoring applications. However, due to the rigorous deployment environment, reliable operation of WSNs is difficult to guarantee. Thus, the assurance of WSN reliability should be concerned in order to measure physical quantities correctly and effectively, as well as to maximize the lifetime of the system. In this paper, concerns of WSN reliability and assurance measures have been discussed via a systematic reliability checking flow. Furthermore, issues about reliability assurance and certification are also raised for the future development of WSNs.