Evaluation Metrics and Optimization Strategies for Routing Protocols in Resource-Constrained Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are indispensable for current applications, such as smart cities, industrial automation and environment monitoring. However, the performance of these networks is heavily dependent on the routing protocols used, especially given the strict limitations on energy, memory, and processing power in sensor nodes. This study presents a detailed evaluation of routing protocols designed for resource-constrained WSN nodes with a focus on energy efficiency, computation overhead, communication performance, scalability and security. A comparable study for the most popular routing protocols such as LEACH, AODV, DSDV, PEGASIS, and GPSR was performed to highlight the compatibility of such protocols with variety of WSN applications. Various optimization techniques to enhance the efficiency of the protocol are also introduced based on adaptive duty cycles, hierarchical clustering, hybrid routing paradigms, and lightweight security mechanisms. The vision and insights of this paper are to offer a good and well-organized ground for enabling and refining the selection of routing protocols for WSN implementation in the complex world of reality.