CAMP: cluster aided multi-path routing protocol for wireless sensor networks.

In this article, we propose a novel routing algorithm for wireless sensor network, which achieves uniform energy depletion across all the nodes and thus leading to prolonged network lifetime. The proposed algorithm, divides the Region of Interest into virtual zones, each having some designated cluster head nodes. In the entire process, a node can either be a part of a cluster or it may remain as an independent entity. A non-cluster member transmits its data to next hop node using IRP-Intelligent Routing Process (based on the trade-off between the residual energy of itself as well as its neighbor, and the required energy to transmit packets to its neighbor). If on the transmission path, some cluster member is elected as a next hop, it rejects IRP and transmits the packets to cluster head, which later forwards them to sink (adopting multihop communication among cluster heads). Routing is not solely performed using clusters, rather they aid the overall routing process, hence this protocol is named as Cluster Aided Multipath Routing (CAMP). CAMP has been compared with various sensor network routing protocols, viz., LEACH, PEGASIS, DIRECT TRANSMISSION, CEED, and CBMR. It is found that the proposed algorithm outperformed them in network lifetime, energy consumption and coverage ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]