Optimizing a Data Routing Protocol's Influence on Communication Connectivity

A global energy efficient wireless sensor network data routing protocol typically uses few suitably located sensors to relay other sensors' data. These overused sensors reasonably consume more energy and become inactive earlier. Some other sensors then take their role of relaying other sensors' data. At some point in this cycle, a sensor with sufficient energy to sense and communicate can be disconnected from the network for not having any active sensor within its transmission range. If the used data routing protocol is modified such that a sensor is connected as long as it has sufficient energy then the actual energy efficiency of the data routing protocol will be compromised. In this paper, our proposed approach modifies an existing data routing protocol that minimizes the total energy consumption of all sensors. Our modification fulfils the connectivity requirement without compromising the existing energy efficiency of the data routing protocol.