A Clustered Wireless Sensor Network Model Based on Log–Distance Path Loss

Clustered wireless sensor network models typically assume that a clear line-of-sight path separates the transmitter and receiver within a cluster; an accurate assumption for relatively short distances. For longer distances, and in environments that are obstructed, the log-distance path loss model agrees better with measurements. In this paper, communication within a cluster is modeled using the free space propagation model for distances less than a crossover distance, d₀, and the log-distance path loss model with loss exponent n > 2 for distances greater than d₀. We determine the optimum number of clusters for minimizing the energy expended in the clustered WSN given the network geometry, the number of nodes in the network, the crossover distance d₀, and the amount of data compression.