“A Comprehensive Survey of Routing Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks”

Abstract

Usually small sensors tracking environmental conditions and sending data to a base station, a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is made of networked embedded devices.  Given that these sensor nodes run on batteries, their lifetime is limited.  Energy consumption mostly relates to sensing and communication, which finally causes node failure when the battery runs empty.  Furthermore, the non-rechargeable and difficult-to- replace character of these batteries emphasizes the need of energy economy in extending the lifetime of networks.  By means of routing protocols, effective energy management is possible.  Based on important performance criteria like network lifespan, delay, distance, throughput, cluster head selection, energy efficiency, and general network stability, this work offers a thorough assessment of several WSN routing techniques.