The integration of sensor networks (SN’s) into large-scale structural components enables the monitoring of operational loads and resulting structural responses area-wide for the whole part. During the development phase of these components, FE-models of operational loads can be used to find suitable sensor positions and network configurations for this task. Since the network components can’t be replaced after manufacturing due to the integration inside the part, the assessment of the SNs system reliability is important. Because finding a network configuration which fulfills the reliability requirements can be a time-consuming task, an automatic reliability assessment for a sensor network aids during the development. In this paper, an algorithmic solution for the automatic calculation of the system reliability is presented. The calculation is based on an analysation of the data paths and the creation of a reliability block diagram (RBD). In order to show the applicability of this algorithm, it is tested on exemplary scenarios in a case study.