SensorTune is a mobile interface to support non-expert users in iteratively setting up a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). SensorTune uses non-speech audio to present to its users information regarding the connectivity of the network they are setting up, allowing them to decide how to extend it. To simplify the interpretation of the data presented, the system adopts the metaphor of tuning a consumer analog radio, a very common and well known operation. SensorTune represents the first attempt to apply mobile sonification to the domain of WSNs.

To get an impression of how SensorTune sounds, you can listen to the following examples.

This is what you will hear if the node you are currently placing is well connected to its best relay and this is well connected to the base station — you can think of this as the ideal condition:

This is what you will hear if the node you are currently placing has a bad communication with its best relay:

This is what you will hear if the node you are currently placing is connected to at least another node but this has no connection to the base station. The bell sound indicates the presence of an "orphan" node, that is a node that is active, but it does not have a connection with the base station:

This is what you will hear if the node you are currenly placing is totally disconnected:

WSNs are widely regarded as an enabling technology for ubiquitous computing and the precise monitoring of human, urban and natural environments alike. They can support a variety of applications, from assisted living and home or industrial automation to natural disaster prevention. However, this promise can be hard to fulfill if WSNs are difficult to install and maintain. It is commonly reported in the WSN scientific literature that deploying a wireless sensor network can be a cumbersome and labor-intensive task.

A user study was conducted in which 20 subjects performed a network setup task with SensorTune or with a comparable mobile GUI interface. Experimental results show a statistically significant difference in the task completion time and a clear preference of users for the auditory interface.