Performance evaluation of sinks placement algorithms in gradient-based routing wireless sensor networks

Abstract

We consider the problem of positioning base stations in a wireless sensor network so that energy consumption is minimised. Energy consumption is a major concern in wireless sensor network as the sensor nodes has limited battery. The network tested is using gradient routing protocol. A new algorithm to estimate the energy consumption performance is proposed. The new algorithm is tested by using it in two search algorithms: greedy algorithm and local search algorithm. The locations generated by the search algorithms are compared with choosing base stations at random via network simulation. The main metrics compared are overhead, delivery ratio, and power consumption. The comparison is also done on 3 different network layouts: grid, random and preferential attachment. It was found that the new algorithm tested was able to improve the performance of the network by decreasing overhead and decreasing power consumption.