TEZEM: A new energy-efficient routing protocol for next-generation wireless sensor networks
Zain ul Abidin Jaffri, Muhammad Asif, Wali Ullah Khan, Zeeshan Ahmad, Zain Ul Abiden Akhtar, Kalim Ullah, Md. Sadek Ali
Abstract
The design and implementation of energy-efficient routing protocols for next-generation wireless sensor networks is always a challenge due to limited power resource capabilities. Hierarchical (clustering) routing protocols appeared to be a remarkable solution for extending the lifetime of wireless sensor networks, particularly in application-aware (threshold-sensitive) and heterogeneity-aware cluster-based routing protocols. In this article, we propose a protocol, namely, Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol. It is a heterogeneity-aware and threshold-based protocol that provides a better solution to existing problems in next-generation wireless sensor networks. During execution, the Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol splits the entire network area into several zones to manage network traffic efficiently. In the first step, Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol is designed for a homogeneous network where the initial energy of all the nodes is the same. Thereafter, we bring in heterogeneity in the Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol execution environment to optimize its energy consumption. By investigating the performance of the various numbers of divisions, it is proved that the Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol with 9 zonal divisions has higher stability and throughput. The performance of the proposed Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol is compared with those of Stable Election Protocol, Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy, Modified Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy, and Gateway-Based Energy-Efficient Routing Protocol through computer simulations. Simulation results verify the improved performance of the proposed Threshold-based Energy-aware Zonal Efficiency Measuring hierarchical routing protocol in terms of network stability, lifetime, and throughput.