Energy Efficient Routing Algorithm using Zone-based Hybrid Cluster Chain Approach in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have scarce resources, such as energy and processing power, which make energy conservation critical for enhancing network lifetime. The proposed method is an enhanced protocol that utilizes a hybrid approach combining zone-based clustering and a chain approach to increase the WSNs' lifetime. It builds upon an existing routing algorithm, EEARZC [1], which finds the optimal route to the sink using a Fuzzy Inference System to select the best Cluster Head (CH) for relaying from a pool of willing candidate CHs. The proposed approach retains these routes as chains in the network, reducing the need for frequent next-hop determination during data transfers to the sink, thereby enhancing energy conservation in nodes. Also, when a CH that is part of a chain stops relaying data to the sink, it is dynamically replaced with another CH, eliminating the need to reconstruct the entire chain. This process effectively mitigates packet losses, guaranteeing a smooth and uninterrupted data transmission flow throughout the network. The benefits include efficient energy utilization, increased data delivery, and an extended network lifetime. The performance of the proposed method was compared with other methods in three different network scenarios. The results demonstrate that it outperforms other approaches.