ANCH: A New Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

The adaptable and distributed nature of wireless sensor networks has made them popular in a broad range of applications. Clustering is a widely accepted approach for organising nodes in sensor networks to address the network congestion and energy efficiency concerns. In clustering, the number and uniform distribution of the cluster heads are crucial for the effectiveness of an algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new clustering algorithm for wireless sensor networks that reduces the networks energy consumption and significantly prolongs its lifetime. This is achieved by optimising the distribution of cluster heads across the network. The results of our extensive simulation study show considerable reduction in network energy consumption and therefore prolonging network lifetime.