Energy-Aware QoS MAC Protocol Based on Prioritized-Data and Multi-Hop Routing for Wireless Sensor Networks

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Networking
• Wireless Sensor Networks

Background:

• Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) face energy constraints due to limited battery capacity and difficult replacement.
• Energy-efficient communication is crucial for extending WSN node lifespan.
• Applications requiring extensive coverage and diverse data packets necessitate multi-hop routing and Quality of Service (QoS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an energy-efficient QoS MAC protocol for WSNs that supports multi-priority packet delivery and multi-hop routing.
• To enhance network lifespan and performance by focusing on energy conservation.
• To introduce the EQPD-MAC protocol, designed for energy-aware operation.

Main Methods:

• Developed an energy-aware QoS MAC protocol named EQPD-MAC.
• Implemented a cross-layer communication approach for efficiency.
• Integrated prioritized data handling, adaptive active time for reduced idle listening, and a robust routing protocol.

Main Results:

• EQPD-MAC reduced sensor node energy consumption by up to 30.3%.
• Per-bit energy consumption decreased by up to 29.6%.
• Sink node energy consumption was reduced by up to 27.4%, with throughput increasing by up to 23.3%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed EQPD-MAC protocol effectively balances energy conservation with QoS requirements in WSNs.
• EQPD-MAC demonstrates significant improvements in energy efficiency and throughput compared to existing QoS MAC protocols.
• The protocol's design is suitable for WSN applications demanding reliable, high-priority data transmission and extended operational life.