REECP: A Reliable Protocol with Early-Warning Scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks

The cluster-based communication protocol in wireless sensor networks can decrease the energy consumption effectively. Since the reliability of the sensing task is seldom analyzed and the data-centric sensing task focuses more on the data reliability, the RBD (reliability block diagram) is used to model the data reliability of wireless sensor networks. Then the malfunctioning node is defined and researched. The scheme of annulling its potential detrimental effects of disrupting the data reliability is proposed, which combined with the modified cluster formation scheme serves as the core functions of REECP (reliable energy-efficient cluster-based protocol). Compared with classical LEACH and SEP, simulation results show it can either prolong the effective lifetime of the network, or mitigate the error propagation in data aggregation. The reliability of wireless sensor networks based on the cluster-based communication protocol is thereby reinforced.