A novel secure and energy aware LOADng routing protocol for IoT: an application to smart agriculture

<span>In the burgeoning domain of the internet of things (IoT), efficient and secure communication protocols are crucial for the seamless operation of diverse applications. This paper proposes a novel routing protocol, termed secure and energy aware LOADng (SEA-LOADng), tailored for IoT deployments in the context of smart agriculture. The protocol is designed to address the unique challenges posed by agricultural environments, including limited energy resources and the need for robust security measures. The proposed protocol leverages LOADng, a lightweight and efficient routing protocol suitable for low-power and lossy networks characteristic of IoT deployments. Through innovative energy-aware mechanisms, it optimizes the power usage of IoT devices, thus prolonging their operational lifespan and reducing maintenance overhead. Moreover, stringent security measures are integrated into the protocol to safeguard sensitive data transmitted within the IoT network. To assess the efficacy of the proposed protocol, comprehensive simulations are carried out using realistic smart agriculture scenarios. The results demonstrate significant improvements in energy efficiency compared to LOADng protocol, while maintaining robust security against hello flood attack.</span>