Comparative analysis of flat routing protocols in wireless sensor networks: Which one is better?

Wireless Sensor Networks comprises of a large number of tiny sized sensors which can sense the region of interest and communicate the information as required. A routing protocol decides the best suitable route to be considered for sending the data from source to destination. One of the major concerns is to transmit the data on a route which consumes less power. The power is a scarce resource in WSNs as these networks are usually deployed in a hostile environment, where it is not possible to give them power supply or to get them recharge. An analysis about the performance of different flat routing Protocols such as AODV, MAODV, DSDV, Flooding and Directed Diffusion is presented and a comparison has also been carried out among these flat routing protocols. In this research work, an introduction of WSNs is presented with a deep insight into the flat routing protocols for sensor networks. The various routing protocols have been implemented in NS2 and compared in terms packet deliver fraction, Residual energy Vs Time and Number of packets dropped Vs Time. This methodical review will help the researcher to select the most suitable flat routing protocol depending upon the application requirement.