Performance Comparison of Energy-Efficient Routing Techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely used for environmental monitoring, health care, and military operations, among other uses. The energy efficiency of sensor nodes is crucial for extending the life of the network since battery-operated devices are usually located in hard-to-reach locations. In this article, energy-efficient routing techniques in wireless sensor networks are compared based on their energy consumption, lifespan, and scalability. In addition to LEACH, Mod-LEACH, ILEACH, M-GEAR, E-DEEC, and multichain-PEGASIS, several other protocols are introduced. Simulations are used to evaluate how well these protocols balance network performance with energy consumption. In particular, load balancing and energy conservation are more effective when using protocols like ILEACH, M-GEAR, and multichain-PEGASIS compared to traditional methods. WSN routing strategies are examined comprehensively in this paper to guide their selection. The paper also proposes a hybrid adaptive routing scheme that combines the strengths of existing approaches, showing 18% improvement in network lifetime compared to conventional methods. These findings offer valuable guidance for designing energy-optimized WSN architectures for IoT, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation applications.