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NOTE: The original Freemote Project website is available on http://mote.tic.eia-fr.ch.

This website provides the latest information to all Freemote contributors and users. 

Overview

The Freemote Project aims at developping and promoting the Freemote Emulator, a lightweight and distributed Java based emulation tool for developing Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Software. The goal of this platform is to support the emerging Java based Motes based on optimized JVM (eg. Squawk , Sentilla Point) and platforms (eg. Java Cards , SunSPOT). As the Java language is well known and general purpose this emulator reduce the duration and complexity of the development phase.

The Freemote Emulator focuses on behavior credibility by mixing emulated nodes and real nodes reachable through a specialized bridge rather than on time based performance evaluation accuracy. This emulator splits the Software architecture of a Mote in three independant layers connected through well defined interfaces (Application, Routing and Data Link and Physical). A unique XML file modifiable thanks to a user friendly GUI permits to dynamically select and configure the proper implementation. Moreover, the development of specialized code for the real nodes is not necessary while the code of Application and Routing layers can run either on real or emulated nodes with no adaptation.

The Freemote Emulator also provides a powerful network visualization tool which displays the emulated nodes, the content of the messages sent as well as the physical topology. This feature helps to understand complex networks behaviors and debug tricky implementation problems.

The emulator can be quickly started with a set of selectable and predefined scenarios with the Java Web Start technology. This aspect places the Freemote Emulator as an attractiveeducational tool for students and new commers in the WSN field.

Features

• Perform experiments in real time
• Support many roles (eg. aggregator node, execution node) in the same experiment
• Distributed architecture over a 802.3 Network which permit to easily extends the number of emulated nodes
• Motion of the emulated nodes with a selectable motion model
• Lightweight simulation of the radio medium and MAC layer behavior.
  Supported: 1. Assymetrical physical links (each node can have it own circular radio cover) 2. IEEE 802.15.4 Acknowledgments 3. Random errors rate 4. Broadcast of every messages 5. Promiscuous mode
  Not supported: Radio propagation and model, delay and throughput, Medium Access Protocol
• Visualisation tool which display the emulated nodes with: 1. The physical topology 2.Nodes positions (in the emulated square map) 3. Content and radio coverage of the messages sent 4. Log generated by the nodes 5. Tunable Slow Down feature

Compatibility

The real nodes could be any Java JME CLDC 1.0 or more powerful Motes based on the IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN radio standard. A new suitable Mote must simply provide an implementation of the Data Link and Physical layer interface to be adapted to the Freemote Emulator. This work is relatively simple if the basic sending and receiving services are already provided.

Currently we have implemented this layer only for the JMote platform. This platform is a prototype of Mote supporting the Java language developed at University of Applied Science of Fribourg under the Ad hoc Design Studio Project. The JMotes are less designed for very low power consumption than for flexibility as they have 2MB memory and a microprocessor supporting direct Java bytecode execution without a virtual machine. However these Motes are based on CC2420, a IEEE 802.15.4 compliant radio chip and support the same message format (Active Message) as the TinyOS based Motes (eg. MICAz , TelosB). So the experiments done with this platform can perform in a heterogeneous environment thus increase the realism of the results.

Research

• Timothée Maret, Raphaël Kummer, Peter Kropf, and Jean-Frédéric Wagen.: Freemote Emulator: A Lightweight and Visual Java Emulator for WSN. Proceedings of the 6thInternational Conference on Wired/Wireless Internet Communications, WWIC’08. Tampere, Finland (2008).
  
  
• Raphaël Kummer, Timothée Maret, Peter Kropf, and Jean-Frédéric Wagen.: Freemote: A Wireless Sensor Networks Emulation System. Proceedings of the 7th MiNEMA Workshop, WAWC’08. Lappeenranta, Finland (2008). 

• Raphaël Kummer, Peter Kropf, Jean-Frédéric Wagen, and Timothée Maret.: Evaluation Platform for Large-Scale P2P Mobile Ad-hoc Networks. Mobile Peer-to-Peer Computing for Next Generation Distributed Environments: Advancing Conceptual and Algorithmic Applications, IGI Global. 2009

• Timothée Maret, Peter Kropf, Béat Hirsbrunner and Philippe Joye.: Un environnement d'émulation hybride pour un algorithme de DHT adapté au contexte des réseaux ad hoc. Master thesis, Universities of Fribourg & Neuchâtel (2007)
  
  
• Médar Rieder, Philippe Joye.: AdHoc Design Studio (ADS). Technical Report V1.0 (2007)

People

• Timothée Maret
• Raphaël Kummer
• Prof. Peter Kropf
• Dr. Jean-Frédéric Wagen
• Prof. Béat Hirsbrunner

Acknowledgement

The Freemote Project is partially funded by the HES-SO projects N° 17223-ADS (development of the JMote) and N° 16197-RASMAS (Freemote Emulator integration).