Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

10-2010

Abstract

Motion and intrusion detection are often cited as wireless sensor network (WSN) applications with typical configurations comprising clusters of wireless nodes equipped with motion sensors to detect human motion. Currently, WSN performance is subjected to several constraints, namely radio irregularity and finite on-board computation/energy resources. Radio irregularity in radio frequency (RF) propagation rises to a higher level in the presence of human activity due to the absorption effect of the human body. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of monitoring RF transmission for the purpose of intrusion detection through experimentation. With empirical data obtained from the Crossbow TelosB platform in several different environments, the impact of human activity on the signal strength of RF signals in a WSN is evaluated. We then propose a novel approach to intrusion detection by turning a constraint in WSN, namely radio irregularity, into an advantage for the purpose of intrusion detection, using signal fluctuations to detect the presence of human activity within the WSN. Unlike RF fingerprinting, the 'intruders' here neither transmit nor receive any RF signals. By enabling existing wireless infrastructures to serve as intrusion detectors instead of deploying numerous costly sensors, this approach shows great promise for providing novel solutions.

Discipline

Computer and Systems Architecture | Software Engineering

Research Areas

Software and Cyber-Physical Systems

Publication

Measurement Science and Technology

Volume

21

Issue

12

ISSN

0957-0233

Identifier

10.1088/0957-0233/21/12/124007

Publisher

IOP Publishing: Hybrid Open Access

Additional URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/21/12/124007

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