Dual-Tier Cluster-Based Routing in Mobile Wireless Sensor Network for IoT Application

Mobile wireless sensor network (MWSN) technology is a fundamental element of the Internet of Things (IoT) in which hundreds to thousands of sensor nodes (SNs) are connected via wireless channels capable of providing a digital interface to real-life objects. Energy consumption, connectivity, scalability, and security are the main challenges in MWSN, and mobility increases the effort required to find an efficient routing protocol to improve the MWSN performance. In this paper, we propose a novel routing protocol based on the dual-tier clustering concept and virtual network zones to improve MWSN performance. The proposed protocol named “Dual Tier Cluster-Based Routing” (DTC-BR) divides the network area into virtual zones which a cluster-head mechanism selects the most appropriate SN to act as Cluster Head (CH). Furthermore, virtual zones are designed to cover the entire network area based on a dual-tier routing mechanism: the main connectivity zone (MCZ) and candidate cluster zone (CCZ). The DTC-BR protocol was deployed and assessed using MATLAB, assuming three levels: energy consumption, network lifetime, and scalability. The comparative results demonstrate the efficiency of DTC-BR, where the network lifetime increased by 6%, 21%, 25%, and 37% compared to state-of-the-art dynamic directional routing (DDR), mobility-aware centralized clustering algorithm (MCCA), low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy-mobile energy efficient and connected (LEACH-MEEC), and low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy mobile (LEACH-M) protocols, respectively. In addition, the simulation results show that DTC-BR is more efficient for large network sizes and a high number of SNs.