Routing with Localized Clusters for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Data aggregation is a key concept in data-centric routing for wireless sensor networks. Most existing aggregation ideas are either tree-based or cluster-based. The Greedy Incremental Tree (GIT) protocol is a representative in the tree-based category, and the Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol is one of the most well known cluster-based protocols. We in this paper propose a routing protocol named READY (Routing based on Early Aggregation and Dynamic paths), the main ideas behind which are cluster-based early aggregation and dynamic multi-path routing. READY shares the same idea of early aggregation as GIT, but it implements early aggregation by use of clusters rather than an aggregation tree. Meanwhile, it significantly improves routing performance by creating dynamic multiple paths and avoiding flooding. Compared with LEACH, READY creates local clusters as opposed to global ones. Also READY uses multi-hop and multi-path routing to transmit data from cluster heads to the sink, as opposed to the single-hop method used in LEACH. Simulation shows that the early aggregation, localized clustering and dynamic multiple paths make READY power-efficient, scalable and robust.