Optimizing Multi-Hop Wireless Networks: Cross-Layer Approaches for Secure and Efficient IoT Communication

The integration of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and Internet of Things (IoT) advancements paves the way for the development of smart cities. WSNs consist of resource-constrained, battery-operated nodes used in applications such as tracking, detection, and environmental monitoring. Current research focuses on enhancing network protocols, developing new communication models, and evaluating existing solutions in real-world scenarios. Key challenges include energy conservation, dynamic channel capacity management, and resource limitations. The cross-layer design approach addresses these challenges by enabling interactions between different network layers to optimize performance, reduce energy consumption, and enhance network lifetime while ensuring Quality of Service (QoS) in real-time communication. Additionally, security and routing in multi-hop wireless networks remain critical issues, with challenges such as limited link lifespan, media access delays, decentralized architectures, and multi-layer security threats. Traditional methods fail to detect multilayer attacks or determine optimal routing paths. Cross-Layer design offers a promising solution to these challenges by improving efficiency and security. This research examines and evaluates the impact of routing protocols and cross-layer security mechanisms in multi-hop wireless networks to enhance performance and reliability.