Routing Protocol for Lifetime Maximization of Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of a large population of sensor nodes capable of computation, communication and sensing. Such a network will enable the reliable monitoring of a variety of environments for both civil and military applications. The wireless sensor node, being a microelectronic device, can only be equipped with a limited power source (0.5 Ah, 1.2V). In some application scenarios, replenishment of power resources might be impossible. The lifetime of a sensor node shows a strong dependence on battery lifetime. Starting from the basic idea of classical Directed Diffusion, we introduce some innovations in the algorithm giving rise to Energy Efficient Routing Protocol (EERP). EERP communication routing protocol can have significant impact on the overall energy consumption and hence on the performance of these networks. Simulation results show a considerable performance improvement and energy saving leading to an overall improvement in network lifetime over classical directed diffusion.