Distributed detection with channel errors

Performances of distributed detection (DD) systems employing a set of geographically dispensed sensors have been investigated for the past two decades. In this paper we study the variations in the false alarm and detection probabilities of a DD system due to the errors caused by the links between sensors and the fusion center. Both asymptotic and finite sample performances are studied. The results bring out the exact dependence of these probabilities on the link reliability. Such a study is meaningful because of the recent research interests in wireless sensor networks.