Load balanced fuzzy-based unequal clustering for wireless sensor networks assisted Internet of Things

Abstract

The fundamental unit of the Internet of Things (IoT) is wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Due to their low cost and prospective use, WSNs have drawn interest in various applications over the last years. Since sensor nodes are equipped with limited battery, it is vital energy consumption be carefully monitored. Therefore, minimizing the node energy consumption is clearly essential to extend the network lifetime. In this paper, a fuzzy-based unequal clustering protocol is proposed. Not only does the proposed protocol prolong the network lifetime, but it also balances the load among nodes. Former protocols do not consider load balancing. Fuzzy logic is employed considering four inputs: residual energy, distance to a base station, node degree and centrality. To validate its efficiency, the novel protocol is compared with other relevant protocols. The obtained results prove that the protocol here proposed outperforms other state-of-the-art protocols.