Load Balancing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper presents an energy-efficient loadbalancing algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks. The algorithm specifies that only the nodes which have residual energy above a threshold can take part in routing, and that residual energy is to be updated at the highest opportunistic rate supported by the network. The algorithm was tested on and showed improvements to hierarchical data aggregation and basic directed diffusion; the proposed method updated residual energy during reinforced data transmission, the highest data rate in both protocols, by allowing neighbor nodes to promiscuously snoop traffic. Simulations show that the proposed method has lower residual energy variance (25%, 23% less) and longer network lifetime (10%, 23 % longer) than hierarchical data aggregation and basic directed diffusion methods, respectively. In addition, interest message flooding was reduced and network lifetime was increased by allowing only the nodes that have residual energy above a threshold to take part in interest propagation.