A reliable tree-based data aggregation method in wireless sensor networks

Aggregating the sensed data by nodes is a natural way to increase the network lifetime and reduce the number of bits sent and received by each sensor node. This paper presents a reliable tree-based data aggregation method. In the proposed method, sensor nodes are organized in the form of a binary tree. Then, aggregation requests are authenticated by a shared key, and if the request is acknowledged, the aggregation process begins. In the proposed method, using dynamic generator polynomial-size for cycle error detection code (CRC), the error generated along the path is detected hop by hop. In case of an error, the request for retransmission will be sent to the previous hop. Also, intermediate nodes apply certain aggregating functions like summation or averaging on the received packages, which cause a reduction in the amount of data transmission on the network. This method reduces the number of sent packets and the amount of energy consumed, so the network has a longer lifetime. Also, this method significantly increased reliability using the CRC code. The proposed method is compared with EESSDA, SDAACA, and LAG methods. The simulation results show that the proposed method has greater superiority over its comparative techniques, particularly on aspects such as energy consumption, network lifetime, and reliability.