Evaluation of routing protocols used in wireless sensor networks monitoring temperature in composting heaps

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) comprises of a number of sensor nodes which help to monitor physical conditions such as temperature, sound, pressure, motion, etc. These Sensor Networks are increasingly being used in applications that are hazardous to human health or require much manual labour. One such application is that of monitoring the temperature of a large number of compost heaps spread over a large area. In the mentioned scenario, the wireless sensor nodes must function over long periods, making optimal use of the limited energy resources and keeping the network functional even in the case of any node failures. In this paper, we provide a survey of the performances of basic routing protocols namely AODV, DSDV, DSR when employed in the aforementioned scenario having 85 sensor nodes. The above mentioned routing protocols are tested for their efficiency, optimal energy use and reliability using Network Simulator-2 (NS2). Simulation results are presented in the form of graphs and relevant conclusions are drawn.