EECLP: A Wireless Sensor Networks Energy Efficient Cross-Layer Protocol

Recent advancements in wireless communications have allowed the birth of novel wireless sensor networks (WSN). A sensor network comprises several micro-sensors deployed randomly in an area of interest. A micro-sensor is provided with an energy resource to supply electricity to all of its components. However, the disposed energy resource is limited and battery replacement is generally infeasible. With this restriction, the sensors must conserve energy to prolong their lifetime. Various energy conservation strategies for WSNs have been presented in the literature, from the application to the physical layer. Most of these solutions focus only on optimizing a single layer in terms of energy consumption. In this research, a novel cross-layer technique for WSNs’ effective energy usage is presented. Because most energy consumption factors exist in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and network layer, our EECLP protocol (Energy Efficient Cross-Layer Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks) integrates these two layers to satisfy energy efficiency criteria. To gain access to the transmission channel, we implement a communication regime at the MAC layer based on CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) techniques. Next, depending on the activity and a standby period, we employ the RTS/CTS (Request to Send/Clear to Send) method to prevent collisions and resolve hidden node concerns by utilizing the network allocation vector (NAV) to calculate the transmission duration. Employing a greedy strategy, we establish chains amongst cluster members to mitigate the issue of high energy consumption in routing data. An objective function was utilized to determine the optimal cross-chain path based on the distances to the base station (BS) and residual energy (RE). The simulation, testing, and comparison of the proposed protocol to peer protocols have shown superior outcomes and a prolonged network lifespan. Using the suggested protocol, the network lifetime increases by 10% compared to FAMACO (Fuzzy and Ant Colony Optimization based MAC/Routing Cross-layer) protocol, and it increases by 90% and 95% compared to IFUC (Improved Fuzzy Unequal Clustering) and UHEED (Unequal Hybrid Energy Efficient and Distributed) protocols successively.