A comprehensive review of clustering approaches for energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have become more popular in recent years due to their vast range of applications. The utilisation of WSNs is an absolute requirement for future revolutionary domains such as smart cities, the Internet of Things, or ecological fields, where hundreds or thousands of sensor nodes are placed. Moreover, because WSNs are energy-constrained networks, implementing energy-aware protocols is critical. Hierarchical techniques enhance network performance and extend network lifetime in large-scale WSNs. Within a WSN, hierarchy is achieved by dividing the network into sub-networks known as clusters, which are directed by Cluster Heads (CH). Clustering is the most common energy-efficient approach, and it offers several benefits, like reduced latency, scalability, lifetime and energy efficiency. This study presents a detailed assessment of several clustering techniques, together with their aims, features, etc. Furthermore, clustering techniques are classified and evaluated based on numerous cluster features, cluster head attributes and clustering procedures.