Reliable data delivery in wireless sensor networks: An energy-efficient, cluster-based approach

Reliable data delivery in wireless sensor networks is a challenging issue due to the error prone nature of wireless communication and the frangibility of little sensors. However, readings of geographically proximate sensors are strongly correlated, so it's not only unnecessary but also wastes energy to deliver data in all sensors reliably. Sensor nodes could be clustered and only the aggregated data need to be reliably delivered. In this paper, we propose a new reliable, energy-efficient clustering protocol CREED. CREED takes advantage of the multi-rate capabilities of 802.11 a, b, g technologies by reducing energy consumption per bit for shorter transmission range. A dynamic backup scheme EDDS based on nodes' residual energy is presented to enhance the fault tolerance of CREED. EDDS supports quick cluster head selection and failure recovery while only need exchange a few messages. CREED also includes an energy aware multipath inter-cluster routing to guarantee reliable data delivery. Simulation results verify the performance of CREED.