Scaling hierarchical clustering and energy aware routing for sensor networks

Energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is of a primary concern due to the limited energy capacity of sensor nodes. Since most power dissipation occurs in wireless communication, it becomes imperative to reduce the energy costs of communication by developing power efficient communication protocols. To that end, this paper presents scaling hierarchical power efficient clustering with energy aware routing (SHEAR), which offers a clustering based scalable topology control coupled with an energy aware path selection scheme. By selecting cluster heads based on the maximum local residual energy of neighboring nodes, the topology control of SHEAR distributes energy dissipation evenly among all clusters. Additionally, routes for packet flows are allocated such that the aggregate energy consumption along a chosen path is minimized while avoiding the nodes with low energy levels. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of SHEAR in attaining reasonably long-lived WSNs.