LOW-TRAFFIC AWARE HYBRID MAC (LTH-MAC) PROTOCOL FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

This paper proposes LTH-MAC (Low -Traffic Aware Hybrid MAC), a novel MAC protocol designed to improve energy efficiency and message delivery reliability in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). LTH-MAC achieves this through innovative techniques like flexible timeslots, channel selection, collision -avoiding, parallel transmissions, and efficient backoff schemes. These optimizations lead to reduced idle listening, minimized collisions, and simplified synchronization. Simulations using OPNET environment demonstrate that LTH-MAC significantly reduces energy consumption, especially under light traffic loads. Additionally, LTH-MAC provides lower end -to -end latency and higher message delivery reliability compared to ECoMAC. These advancements position LTH-MAC as a compelling solution for WSN applications demanding efficient and reliable communication.