Quality of Service-Based Cross-Layer Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSN) are used for perceiving, monitoring, and controlling a wide range of applications. Owing to the small size of sensor nodes and limited power sources, energy-saving is critical for ensuring network longevity. Protocols in different layers consume energy for their function. It is possible to significantly reduce energy usage by implementing energy efficiency measures in the protocol design. Most protocols in the literature focus on the energy efficiency of individual layers. Recent studies have shown that cross-layer designs (CLD) are more energy-efficient than individual layer designs. Therefore, this article proposes a novel quality of service-based crosslayer (QSCL) protocol design by combining the IEEE 802.15.4-based MAC protocol in the data link layer and the LEACH-based routing protocol in the network layer to minimize energy consumption (EC). The dynamic duty cycle of the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol was modified based on the amount of data present in the node, which minimizes the EC of the data-transfer mechanism. The cluster head (CH) selection of the LEACH-based protocol was modified by considering the average residual energy (ARE) and distance of the nodes into account. This helps preserve the energy in the CH, thereby extending the lifespan of the network. Simulation results show that the proposed QSCL protocol outperformed existing protocols in terms of quality of service (QoS) parameters.