Energy Saving in Wireless Sensor Networks via LEACH-Based, Energy-Efficient Routing Protocols

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks are at the center of scientific interest thanks to their ever-growing range of applications. The main weakness of wireless sensor networks is the restricted lifetime of their sensor nodes due to limited energy capacity. The extension of the lifespan of sensor nodes is pursued in various ways. One of them is the usage of protocols that achieve energy-efficient routing. LEACH is one of the pioneering protocols of this type and has numerous descendants. This research article focuses on energy-efficient routing protocols that are based on LEACH. Specifically, a study of LEACH along with many of its successors is provided. In addition, a novel protocol of this kind, named T-LEACHSAS is introduced. This protocol combines the threshold-based approach for selecting cluster heads that was first introduced in T-LEACH, which is a well-known protocol, along with a mechanism for sleep–awake scheduling. The performance of T-LEACHSAS is compared against that of both LEACH and T-LEACH via simulation tests that confirm that T-LEACHSAS indeed provides a promising choice for energy-efficient routing in WSNs.