Range-free localization algorithm for heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose a novel range-free localization algorithm tailored for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where nodes have different transmission capabilities. Two different approaches are developed to accurately derive the expected hop progress (EHP). It is shown that the obtained EHP depends solely on the information locally available at each node and, hence, can be computed in a localized manner. Furthermore, a localization correction mechanism which accounts for the heterogeneous nature of WSNs is developed. Simulations results show that the proposed algorithm, whether with or without correction, outperforms in accuracy the most representative range-free localization algorithms in the literature.