Optimal gateway loading in wireless sensor networks

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), efficient loading of energy-constrained gateways is crucial for extending the life of the gateway's battery and thereby increasing the life of WSN. In this paper, the problem of gateway loading has been modeled as an optimization problem. The objective is to maximize the life of the gateways by balancing the load subject to energy constraints thereby maximizing the life of WSNs. The optimization problem has been modeled as Zero-One Integer programming with 'Complete Enumeration' technique. Simulation has been done by varying load size. Simulation has also been done for baseline allocation, with no optimization. Comparison of the results, in terms of rate of energy consumption and total remaining energy of the gateways for both the optimized and non-optimized cases indicates that our method of optimal gateway loading saves energy and hence extends the life of WSN.