Improving link failure restoration in next-generation wireless sensor networks

Next-generation wireless sensor networks (xWSN) have applications in many emerging wireless technologies, such as fifth-generation, internet-of-things, device-to-device communications, e-health, e-agriculture, etc. For most of these xWSN applications, network reliability and robustness against failures are crucial considerations. In this paper, an appropriate network restoration model is developed to help achieve network protection and/or restoration for xWSN in the event of link failures. In the model, effective network restoration is achieved by investigating efficient pre-configured-cycle (p-cycle)-based restoration solutions for the xWSN. Furthermore, to achieve significant improvement in the capacity efficiency of the p-cycle solutions realised, the concepts of p-cycle selectivity, load redistribution and the use of single p-cycles for double failure restoration are investigated and incorporated in the network restoration design. The restoration model developed, alongside the various improvement concepts incorporated, is shown to achieve better performance in terms of average path length and total capacity cost when compared with similar restoration models for modern wireless communication applications.