An Enhanced Energy-Efficient Cluster Head Selection Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of numerous sensor nodes deployed to monitor environmental, military, agricultural, and industrial conditions. A major limitation of WSNs is the energy consumption associated with data communication, especially in cluster-based routing protocols where Cluster Head (CH) selection critically influences the network’s lifespan. Traditional protocols like LEACH select CHs randomly, ignoring residual energy and distance from the Base Station (BS), leading to early energy depletion in certain nodes. To address this, a novel energy-efficient routing protocol is proposed that optimizes CH selection based on two dynamic parameters: residual energy and distance from the BS. This refined threshold function ensures that nodes with higher energy and favorable positioning are preferred as CHs, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency and network lifetime. MATLAB-based simulations under varied deployment scenarios confirm that the proposed protocol outperforms LEACH in metrics like network lifetime, energy consumption, and number of operational rounds. The method proves robust for dense and sparse WSN environments, ensuring efficient energy utilization and data transmission reliability.