Paper 2009/014

Key Predistribution Techniques for Grid-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Simon R. Blackburn, Tuvi Etzion, Keith M. Martin, and Maura B. Paterson

Abstract

We consider symmetric key predistribution in grid-based wireless sensor networks. Networks consisting of wireless sensor nodes arranged in a grid pattern have many useful applications, including environmental monitoring and agribusiness. The structured physical distribution of nodes in such networks facilitates efficient distribution of keys to the nodes prior to deployment. It has been shown that combinatorial objects known as distinct-difference configurations (DDCs) can be used to construct effective key predistribution schemes (KPSs) for grid-based networks. In this paper we observe that the regular topology of a grid-based network enables an efficient trade-off between the connectivity, resilience and storage requirements of a KPS, and we discuss the balancing of these properties to suit application requirements. We then show how recent results on the construction of DDCs can be used to produce KPSs that achieve the desired balance, and we provide explicit algorithms for the instantiation of these schemes.