Enhancement of the S-MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are being widely deployed and used in sensing, collecting, and disseminating data for various applications in the environmental, industrial, and military sectors. The primary concern in WSNs lies in minimizing the communication between sensor nodes while achieving the desired network operation; thus extending the life time of sensor nodes. In this paper we present an enhancement for the S-MAC protocol that emphasizes energy awareness during the process of selecting intermediate nodes. This new enhancement overcomes a major drawback of S-MAC characterized by overhearing at intermediate nodes.