Optimal Election Unequal Clustering Routing Protocol with Improved Tradeoff Function for Wireless Sensor Networks

In today's technological landscape, IoT-enabled Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) offer significant advantages over traditional networks, particularly when it is used under critical applications. However, network devices are typically limited in terms of their energy source; energy optimization has become a major concern in recent years. As a result, energy-efficient protocols are increasingly being prioritized to extend the network's functionality for a long period. In this chapter, we introduce a clustering routing protocol that operates on an unequal clustering basis. The protocol selects the best route for transmitting data to the sink based on various factors, such as the average residual energy of path sensor nodes, the average distance between nodes, the maximal distance nodes in the current path, and the number of hops. Our simulation results show that the proposed Optimal Energy Unequal Clustering Routing (OEUCR) protocol provides a significant improvement over the existing Energy Efficient Routing Protocol (EERP). Furthermore, we propose an optimal election clustering protocol that provides a new trade-off function based on near density factor and elect metric. Our simulation outcomes demonstrate that this protocol increases the network's functional duration by 6 rounds, reduces energy consumption by 0.727 J per round, and allows the base station to receive 975 more messages. Specifically, the packets received by the base station (BS) increased by 23%, while energy consumption decreased by 21% when using OEUCR instead of EERP.