A Learning based Secure Routing Approach using Deep Reinforcement Learning in IoT Integrated Wireless Sensor Network

Abstract

The usage of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is ubiquitous in nature. With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and its unprecedented use cases, the role of sensor networks as part of IoT application became crucial. WSN became backbone of IoT to realize integration between physical and digital worlds and connectivity to Internet. However, IoT devices are resource constrained with limited computational capabilities. The entire network is distributed in nature and has increased complexity. Routing in such WSN integrated IoT network plays an important role in achieving meaningful communication among objects. In this context, it is indispensable to have more energy efficient routing method. Since the IoT integrated sensor network is highly complicated, it is very dynamic in nature. Thus routing decisions are also dynamic leading to much importance to routing in such use cases. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it became possible to solve complex real world problems through learning based approach which acquires desired intelligence prior to making decisions. In this paper we proposed a deep reinforcement learning based routing mechanism for energy efficient routing in WSN-IoT integrated application. We proposed novel algorithms for network setup, formation of clusters and routing. Our method adapts to network changes due to energy levels, mobility and makes learning based routing decisions. We enhanced the method further with security to ensure its Qualityof Service (QoS) in presence of attacks. Our simulation study using MATLAB has revealed that the proposed secure routing approach outperforms existing protocols.