Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Cost‐Effective Localization and Secure Communication in Wireless Sensor Networks

ABSTRACT Recently, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have gained significant traction owing to their remarkable flexibility and cost‐effectiveness in manipulating the wireless environment. This research paper introduces a novel approach to localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) by leveraging RIS. RIS‐assisted positioning offers a cost‐effective and energy‐efficient solution for wireless network positioning, resulting in reduced expenses and power consumption compared to global positioning system (GPS) and range‐based methods. Specifically, our approach involves two key steps. First, we formulate a mathematical model for RIS‐aided localization in WSNs, enabling us to accurately determine the locations of the sensor nodes. Second, we enhance cluster head (CH) selection in WSNs by incorporating location awareness. The main objective of our proposed routing protocol, efficient residual energy location‐aware protocol (ERLAP), is to achieve a balance between intra‐cluster and inter‐cluster transmission. The simulation results clearly indicate that our suggested algorithm achieves zero localization estimation error in a noise‐free environment. Furthermore, even in a noisy environment, the localization estimation error remains minimal. Additionally, the simulation results clearly illustrate the impact of the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) on the accuracy of node position estimation. As the SNR increases, the algorithm exhibits an enhanced accuracy level in estimating the node positions, even amidst noise interference. Moreover, the proposed ERLAP outperforms other protocols, such as LEACH, RLEACH, and DARE‐LEACH, in terms of network lifetime and energy efficiency.