Energy Efficiency of Cluster-based Routing Protocols used in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

WSN faces a challenge in energy consumption. Because the sensor nodes in WSN are provided energy by compact batteries and the data transmission is frequent, the energy could be used up in a short time. Minimizing energy dissipation and maximizing network lifetime are among the central concerns when designing applications and protocols for sensor networks. Clustering has been proven to be energy-efficient in sensor networks since data routing and relaying are only operated by cluster heads. Besides, cluster heads can process, filter and aggregate data sent by cluster members, thus reducing network load and alleviating the bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a cluster-based routing algorithm viz. DCR (Distributed Cluster Routing) protocol and LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) protocol. Sensor's eligibility to be elected cluster head is based on its residual energy and the distance. A simulation shows the comparison of above said algorithms in terms of time to live for nodes and data transmission. The results show that these protocols are almost similar for energy consumption but in terms of data transmission DCR performs better than LEACH.