A two-hop energy-efficient mesh protocol for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are finding applications in many areas such as coordinated target detection, environment monitoring and border surveillance. The strict requirement on energy efficiency is one of the most significant challenges. In this paper, we develop a novel energy-efficient routing protocol called THEEM (two-hop energy-efficient mesh) for wireless sensor networks. The THEEM protocol employs a two-hop scheme for in-mesh data transmission. A centralized mesh (cluster) formation method is adopted along with other design innovations, such as the concepts of mesh layer/column, power-aware mesh head assignment and a low-energy media access protocol, to achieve energy efficiency. Simulation results show that the THEEM protocol reduces energy consumption quite significantly compared to other similar protocols under the same condition.