Data Packet Transmission Research Articles

Privacy‐Preserving Average Consensus via Pulse‐Coupled Oscillators

ABSTRACTAverage consensus is a cornerstone of distributed systems, facilitating essential functionalities such as distributed information fusion, decision‐making, and decentralized control. Achieving average consensus typically relies on explicit exchanges of state and identity information among neighboring nodes. This reliance poses a risk of exposing sensitive information, leading to unpredictable data leakage. Therefore, it is imperative to implement privacy‐preserving mechanisms within average consensus protocols. However, existing privacy‐preserving approaches primarily focus on protecting the initial states of all nodes, compromising the identity information of the nodes. This vulnerability can be particularly problematic in scenarios where preserving identity information is paramount. In this paper, we propose a novel pulse‐coupled oscillator‐based privacy‐preserving average consensus algorithm. Unlike traditional methods that exchange explicit state information through data packet transmission, our approach utilizes simple, identical, and content‐free pulses. This method not only enhances the preservation of identity information but is also well‐suited for hostile communication environments, such as during jamming attacks that disrupt data packet transmission. Furthermore, our algorithm does not necessitate synchronized clocks among all nodes, enhancing its suitability for practical applications. Numerical simulations are presented to validate the effectiveness of our theoretical results.

K-Means Based Bee Colony Optimization for Clustering in Heterogeneous Sensor Network.

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), an efficient clustering technique is critical in optimizing the energy level of networked sensors and prolonging the network lifetime. While the traditional bee colony optimization technique has been widely used as a clustering technique in WSN, it mostly suffers from energy efficiency and network performance. This study proposes a Bee Colony Optimization that synergistically combines K-mean algorithms (referred to as K-BCO) for efficient clustering in heterogeneous sensor networks. This is to develop a robust and efficient clustering algorithm that addresses the challenges of energy consumption and network performance in WSNs. The K-BCO algorithm outperformed comparative clustering algorithms such as H-LEACH, DBCP, and ABC-ACO in average error rate (AER), average data delivery rate (ADDR), and average energy consumption (AEC) for transmitting data packets from sensors to cluster heads. The K-BCO outperformed other algorithms in terms of ADDR at 95.00% against H-LEACH (75.86%), DBCP (72.07%) and ABC-ACO (90.08%). The findings indicate that the K-BCO not only optimizes energy consumption but also guarantees more stable and robust solutions, thereby extending the network lifetime of WSNs. Thus, K-BCO is recommended to practitioners in wireless sensor networks as it paves the way for more efficient and sustainable wireless communication.

United Airlines In-Flight Wi-Fi Health Management: Revolutionizing Aircraft Connectivity through Real-time Prognostics and Big Data Analysis

This paper highlights an innovative initiative, focusing on Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) to enhance in-flight Wi-Fi performance by proactively identifying aircraft component failures. We propose a novel metric, the Normalized Wi-Fi Health Score (NWiHS), alongside a corresponding alerting mechanism, which together represents a significant advancement in the evaluation and improvement of in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity. To achieve this goal, we utilized big data consisting of millions of historical Wi-Fi heartbeats (HBs) received from each aircraft over the past three years. These HBs refer to periodic data packet transmissions sent from United’s aircraft to ground stations, providing crucial real-time insights into the Wi-Fi system’s status. Leveraging that data, we utilized advanced statistical methods to estimate a NWiHS - a robust indicator of aircraft-level connectivity performance, which quantifies the percent of missing Wi-Fi HBs normalized to exclude the effect of Wi-Fi provider performance and global coverage.

Analysis and Research on Intelligent Logistics Data under Internet of Things and Blockchain

ABSTRACT To explore the security performance of logistics data transmission in an Intelligent Logistics System (ILS) under the Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain (BC), IoT is introduced to optimize the logistics transportation process. First, BC is adopted to improve the ILS under IoT, and ILS under IoT combined with BC is established. Next, an analysis of the relationship between the information service provider and the transportation provider in the logistics transaction process is conducted to perform data analysis and to establish an incentive mechanism for logistics transportation under BC. Finally, the simulation analysis of the constructed model is implemented. The results reveal that the constructed model is highly efficient. It can effectively solve the traceability problem of logistics transaction information, and the calculation cost is stable within 1,000 ms. In the comparative analysis of system transmission performance, the model exhibits outstanding results in transmission latency, consistently maintaining an average delay of approximately 350 ms. This stability is primarily attributed to the seamless integration of BC technology, which optimizes data packet transmission paths and mitigates waiting time. Furthermore, the system efficiently manages high data volumes while upholding robust data processing capabilities, owing to the optimization of smart contracts and decentralized storage mechanisms. As for energy consumption, the model notably reduces overall energy usage within the logistics network by curtailing unnecessary data transmission and computation, particularly in mobile nodes and wireless communication channels. The proposed algorithm excels across various transmission metrics, including transmission delay, data successful acceptance rate, network throughput, and energy consumption are all shown to be the best transmission performance of the proposed algorithm, in which the data successful acceptance rate is close to 1. As a result, the developed ILS model not only guarantees low latency performance but also demonstrates high data transmission security, facilitating more efficient and precise real-time information transmission. In this study, within the ILS framework, the relationship between information service providers and transportation service providers is established through BC, and an incentive mechanism is constructed. However, some shortcomings in this incentive mechanism are recognized. For instance, during the initial stages of BC integration, there are issues of information asymmetry concerning factors such as credit, transportation capacity, and effort level. Moreover, the open access policy of couriers in the model raises concerns, as the access policy itself constitutes sensitive information, which may result in privacy breaches. Hence, as part of future work, the introduction of attribute encryption schemes is planned to obfuscate access policies, thereby safeguarding the privacy of logistics personnel’s access policies.

Performance Analysis of a Color-Code-Based Optical Camera Communication System

In this study, we present a visible light communication (VLC) system that analyzes the performance of an optical camera communication (OCC) system, utilizing a mobile phone camera as the receiver and a computer monitor as the transmitter. By creating color channels in the form of a 4 × 4 matrix within a frame, we determine the parameters that affect the successful transmission of data packets. Factors such as the brightness or darkness of the test room, the light color of the lamp in the illuminated environment, the effects of daylight when the monitor is positioned in front of a window, and issues related to dead pixels and light bleed originating from the monitor’s production process have been considered to ensure accurate data transmission. In this context, we utilized the PyCharm, Pydroid, Python, Tkinter, and OpenCV platforms for programming the transmitter and receiver units. Through the application of image processing techniques, we mitigated the effects of daylight on communication performance, thereby proposing a superior system compared to standard VLC systems that incorporate photodiodes. Additionally, considering objectives such as the maximum number of channels and the maximum distance, we regulated the sizes of the channels, the distances between the channels, and the number of channels. The NumPy library, compatible with Python–Tkinter, was employed to determine the color levels and dimensions of the channels. We investigate the effects of RGB and HSV color spaces on the data transmission rate and communication distance. Furthermore, the impact of the distance between color channels on color detection performance is discussed in detail.

Joint Resource Scheduling of the Time Slot, Power, and Main Lobe Direction in Directional UAV Ad Hoc Networks: A Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Directional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ad hoc networks (DUANETs) are widely applied due to their high flexibility, strong anti-interference capability, and high transmission rates. However, within directional networks, complex mutual interference persists, necessitating scheduling of the time slot, power, and main lobe direction for all links to improve the transmission performance of DUANETs. To ensure transmission fairness and the total count of transmitted data packets for the DUANET under dynamic data transmission demands, a scheduling algorithm for the time slot, power, and main lobe direction based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) is proposed. Specifically, modeling is performed with the links as the core, optimizing the time slot, power, and main lobe direction variables for the fairness-weighted count of transmitted data packets. A decentralized partially observable Markov decision process (Dec-POMDP) is constructed for the problem. To process the observation in Dec-POMDP, an attention mechanism-based observation processing method is proposed to extract observation features of UAVs and their neighbors within the main lobe range, enhancing algorithm performance. The proposed Dec-POMDP and MADRL algorithms enable distributed autonomous decision-making for the resource scheduling of time slots, power, and main lobe directions. Finally, the simulation and analysis are primarily focused on the performance of the proposed algorithm and existing algorithms across varying data packet generation rates, different main lobe gains, and varying main lobe widths. The simulation results show that the proposed attention mechanism-based MADRL algorithm enhances the performance of the MADRL algorithm by 22.17%. The algorithm with the main lobe direction scheduling improves performance by 67.06% compared to the algorithm without the main lobe direction scheduling.

Collaborative last-hop scheduling strategy for large-scale LEO constellation routing

The transmission of data packets from satellites to Earth Stations (ESs) is the last hop of satellite network routing. As the final stage of packet transmission, the use of different scheduling strategies directly affects the throughput of the satellite network. Traditionally, researchers have attempted to enhance network performance by investigating inter-satellite routing protocols or inter-satellite data offloading strategies. However, these approaches have failed to address scheduling issues in the last hop of large-scale Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations. In this paper, we present the first Cooperative Last-Hop Scheduling (CLHS) strategy for routing in large-scale LEO constellations based on a bidirectional communication domain. In this strategy, we first utilize the bidirectional communication domain to determine the communication ranges of satellites and ESs. Subsequently, an information flow is established to interact with ESs and satellites. The ESs receive and reconstruct the Information Matrix (IM) from the information flow. Moreover, we propose the Maximum Decision Value Priority (MDVP) algorithm, which takes the reconstructed IM as input and computes the scheduling commands for satellites within the communication range of the ESs. To address the issue of multiple ESs simultaneously scheduling the same satellite, we introduce the Collision Avoidance Algorithm (CAA). Finally, to enhance the data packet transmission efficiency of the scheduled satellites, we propose the Weighted First-In-First-Out (WFIFO) algorithm, which is specifically designed for satellite packet dequeuing. We validate the CLHS through simulations on two satellite constellations: the first-generation Starlink constellation with 4409 satellites and the GW-2 constellation with 6912 satellites. The results show that CLHS can achieve better network throughput than traditional strategies. CLHS provides a novel method of scheduling the last hop in large-scale satellite constellations.

Fuzzy Similarity Fusion based Feature Selection and Optimization Enabled Deep Learning for Intrusion Detection in WSN

An essential component of data protection is intrusion detection. With the widespread use of wireless sensor networks in military and environmental monitoring, security concerns have grown. The lack of physical defence devices makes data transferred via wireless sensor networks susceptible to attackers. To protect against such threats, appropriate intrusion detection techniques are essential. In this paper, we will construct and explore the suggested fuzzy similarity fusion approach, as well as student psychology Earthworm Optimization Algorithm (SPEWA)-based Deep Q network for intrusion detection. The WSN network will be simulated first, followed by data packet transmission in WSN. The intrusion detection process will then be carried out at the base station. In the base station, the input data will be transmitted to the feature selection module, which will use a newly invented fuzzy similarity fusion approach that combines wrapper, Canberra distance, and fuzzy logic. Once the relevant features have been chosen, intrusion detection will be performed by the Deep Q network, which will be trained using the Student Psychology Earthworm Optimization Algorithm (SPEWA).The SPEWA will be redesigned to incorporate the Student Psychology Based Optimization Algorithm (SPBO) and the Earthworm Optimization Algorithm (EWA). The experiment will be conducted out using the Python programmed BoT-IoT and the MQTT-IoT-IDS2020: MQTT Internet of Things Intrusion Detection Dataset. Furthermore, the performance analysis of the created fuzzy similarity fusion approach will be assessed using four metrics: energy, accuracy, recall, and f-measure.

An Energy-Balance Clustering Routing Protocol for Intra-Body Wireless Nanosensor Networks

Aims and Background: Numerous sensor nodes spread out across the surveillance region form the Wireless-Sensor Network (WSN), a smart, self-organizing network. Since the lumps can typically only be motorized by batteries, creating a WSN while maintaining an optimal energy balance and extending the network's lifetime is the biggest issue. Methods: A novel network architecture that integrates nanotechnology with sensor networks is known as a Wireless-NanoSensor-Network(WNSN). A new area of focus in research is intra-bodyiWNSNs, which are WNSNs with promising potential applications in biomedicine, damage detection, and intra-body health monitoring. We suggest an energy-balance-clustering-routing protocol (EBCR) for iSN nodes that have limited energy storage, short communication range, and low computation and processing capabilities. The protocol uses a novel hierarchical clustering approach to lessen the communication burden on nano-nodes. Results: Cluster nano-nodes can use one-hop routing to send data directly to the Cluster-Head(CH) nodes, and the CH-nodes can utilize multi-hop routing to send data to the nano control node. In addition, selecting the next hop node to minimize energy usage while guaranteeing successful data packet delivery involves balancing distance and channel capacity. The protocol's strengths in energy efficiency, network-lifetime extension, and data-packet transmission success rate were highlighted by the simulation results. Conclusion: It is clear that the EBCR protocol is a viable option for iWNSNs' routing system.

A Wireless Network for Monitoring Pesticides in Groundwater: An Inclusive Approach for a Vulnerable Kenyan Population.

Safe drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle and has been recognised as a human right by numerous countries. However, the realisation of this right remains largely aspirational, particularly in impoverished nations that lack adequate resources for water quality testing. Kenya, a Sub-Saharan country, bears the brunt of this challenge. Pesticide imports in Kenya increased by 144% from 2015 to 2018, with sales data indicating that 76% of these pesticides are classified as highly hazardous. This trend continues to rise. Over 70% of Kenya's population resides in rural areas, with 75% of the rural population engaged in agriculture and using pesticides. Agriculture is the country's main economic activity, contributing over 30% of its gross domestic product (GDP). The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of monitoring for pesticide residues in surface water and groundwater, coupled with the absence of piped water infrastructure in rural areas. Consequently, contamination levels are high, as agricultural runoff is a major contaminant of surface water and groundwater. The increased use of pesticides to enhance agricultural productivity exacerbates environmental degradation and harms water ecosystems, adversely affecting public health. This study proposes the development of a wireless sensor system that utilizes radio-frequency identification (RFID), Long-range (LoRa) protocol and a global system for mobile communications (GSM) for monitoring pesticide prevalence in groundwater sources. From the system design, individuals with limited literacy skills, advanced age, or non-expert users can utilize it with ease. The reliability of the LoRa protocol in transmitting data packets is thoroughly investigated to ensure effective communication. The system features a user-friendly interface for straightforward data input and facilitates broader access to information by employing various remote wireless sensing methods.

A energy efficiency optimization routing processing method for Linear Wireless Sensor Networks

Linear wireless Sensor networks (LWSNs) are extensively utilized to monitor linear infrastructure such as railways, bridges, mines, and borders. In the large-scale deployment of sensor networks, extending network life and improving network energy balance remains a significant challenge. The existing routing protocols adopt the path planning method based on the routing information database, which can effectively transmit data packets. However, the methods consume additional energy when establishing and maintaining routing tables, significantly reducing the nodes’ lifespan and leading to unstable data transmission quality. This paper proposes a dynamic random multipath routing method (DRMRM) for LWSNs. The technique combines the node depth and residual energy models to select the optimal next-hop relay node without relying on the transmission routing table. At the same time, we designed a data loss retransmission mechanism and a data loop retreat mechanism to prevent data packets from reaching a dead end. The experimental results demonstrate that our routing method is superior to existing energy consumption balance and network lifespan protocols.

A reliable cluster-based opportunistic routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks

Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks (UASNs) have gained significant popularity and application in various marine engineering exploration scenarios, driven by the global evolution of the ocean ecosystem. However, UASNs face numerous challenges arising from the unique characteristics of the underwater environment and acoustic channels, such as limited energy resources, unreliable communication, and dynamic network topology in uncertain environments, all of which impact the network lifetime and transmission reliability. To address these challenges and enable efficient underwater data packet transmissions, this paper proposes a reliable cluster-based routing method called RCRP. The RCRP organizes sensor nodes into clusters, where cluster heads transmit the fused data to the sink node through multi-hop forwarding. To overcome routing voids caused by node failures during packet transmission, a prediction model based on the Markov chain is introduced to identify void nodes and inform neighboring nodes about the routing holes. Furthermore, a connection prediction mechanism is developed to tackle changes in the uncertain network topology, taking into account node mobility and the received SNR. For packet transmissions, a waiting mechanism inspired by the opportunistic routing (OR) paradigm is proposed, which determines the optimal forwarding route based on the calculated probability of successful connection between nodes. Simulation results demonstrate that RCRP outperforms existing routing protocols in terms of packet delivery ratio, surviving time, and energy consumption, highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing the performance of UASNs.

Energy efficiency optimization of NB-IoT using integrated Proxy & ERAI technique

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardized the NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology in Release-13, aiming to support applications requiring minimal device power consumption, efficient small data transfer, and tolerance for delays. This paper provides two major contributions: first, it characterizes the NB-IoT architecture and its enhancements in subsequent 3GPP releases; second, it introduces an energy-saving technique for NB-IoT user equipment based on semi-Markov processes. Integrating a Proxy state and an enhanced release assistant indication (ERAI), the proposed technique improves upon the traditional Discontinuous Reception (DRX) method in the NB-IoT standard. This novel approach reduces energy consumption during low data communication, distinguishing it from other power-saving methodologies. The effectiveness of this technique is assessed through the power-saving factor (PSF) under various conditions, such as different eDRX durations (T_eDRX), PSM durations (T_PSM), DRX cycle periods (T_ACTIVE+T_SLEEP), and DRX active periods (T_ACTIVE). Our findings confirm that the proposed Proxy & ERAI technique significantly boosts the power-saving capabilities of NB-IoT devices, especially for small data packet transmissions. Theoretical and simulation results indicate that the PSF can be enhanced by up to 99.4% with optimized eDRX durations (T_eDRX) and up to 99.9% with optimized PSM (T_PSM) durations. These results underscore the significant energy-saving potential of our proposed technique, making it highly effective for NB-IoT applications with low data transmission needs.

ChirpPair: packet acquisition in uncoordinated access channels of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks provide global data service coverage and has become increasingly popular. Uncoordinated access channels reduce data latency in LEO networks by allowing user terminals to transmit data packets at random times to the satellite without any coordination overhead. In this paper, packet acquisition in uncoordinated access channels of LEO networks is studied and a novel solution, called ChirpPair, is proposed, with which the satellite can detect the packets as well as estimating key parameters of the packets for data demodulation. With ChirpPair, the packet preamble consists of a chirp and its conjugate, where a chirp is a complex vector with constant magnitude and linearly increasing frequency. ChirpPair adopts a multi-stage process that gradually increases the estimation accuracy of the parameters without incurring high computation complexity. ChirpPair has been demonstrated in real-world experiments with over-the-air transmissions. ChirpPair has also been evaluated by simulations with the 3GPP New Radio (NR) Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) channel model and the results show that ChirpPair achieves high accuracy despite its low computation complexity.

Hybrid intelligent system for channel allocation and packet transmission in CR-IoT networks

The proliferation of interconnected devices is driving a surge in the demand for wireless spectrum. Meeting the need for wireless channel access for every device, while also ensuring consistent quality of service (QoS), poses significant challenges. This is particularly true for resource-limited heterogeneous devices within Internet of Things (IoT) networks. Cognitive radio (CR) technology addresses the shortcomings of traditional fixed channel allocation policies by enabling unlicensed users to opportunistically access unused spectrum belonging to licensed users. This facilitates timely and reliable transmission of mission-critical data packets. A cognitive radio-enabled IoT (CR-IoT) network is poised to better accommodate the growing demands of diverse applications and services within the smart city framework, spanning areas such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, environment, public safety, and pharmaceuticals. To minimize switching delays and ensure energy and spectral efficiency, this study proposes a hybrid intelligent system for efficient channel allocation and packet transmission in CR-IoT networks. Leveraging Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), the system dynamically manages spectrum resources to minimize handoffs while upholding QoS. A Java-based simulation integrates system outputs with interference temperature data to accommodate service demands across 2G–4G spectrums. Evaluation reveals SVM’s 98.8% accuracy in detecting spectrum holes and ANFIS’s 90.4% accuracy in channel allocation. These results demonstrate significant potential for enhancing spectrum utilization in various IoT applications.

Hybrid Clustering Approach (SG-MFOA) using Multipath Cross-Layer Design in MANET Network

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are used in a wide range of applications because of their unique capabilities. The routing in MANET is regarded as a main challenge on account of its permanent movement and nodes' randomness that can cause a continual change of network topology, thus finding correct paths among the nodes is the fundamental task of routing protocols. There is a rise in protocols that depend on cross-layer communication across several layers to increase the MANET performance. In this manuscript, a Hybrid Clustering Approach (SG-MFOA) using a Multipath Cross-Layer Design in a MANET Network is proposed. Here, multiple routes are selected for data packet transmission with the help of hybrid routing. Furthermore, a cross-layer metric is acquired depending upon Expected Transmission Time (ETT), Residual Energy and Load Balancing Factor. It is necessary to select a Cluster Head (CH) depending on this trade for proficient routing. So, the cluster head is optimally chosen to utilize SG-MFOA. Thus, the multipath route selection is performed by the multi-objective functions containing bandwidth, congestion delay, transmission delay and to ensure the prolonging of network lifetime, queue delay at each connection Access Category from the available routes to a destination. When compared with the existing methods, like a proficient self-attention-based conditional variational auto-encoder generative adversarial networks-based multipath cross-layer design routing paradigm for MANET (SCVAGAN-MCDR-MANET), Energy Aware Cross Layer Routing Protocol to Increase Route Reliability in MANETs (EACLRP-RR-MANET), Cross-layer Adaptive Fuzzy-based Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing Protocol for MANET (CLAF-DVRP-MANET), respectively.

Hardware Compression Method for On-Chip and Interprocessor Networks with Wide Channels and Wormhole Flow Control Policy

Increasing the number of processing cores is currently a common way to boost processor performance. However, the load on the memory subsystem consequently increases as the number of its agents grows. Hardware data compression is an unconventional approach to improving memory subsystem performance by reducing, firstly, the main memory access rate by increasing the cache capacity and, secondly, data traffic by packing the data more densely. The paper describes the implementation of hardware data compression in the on-chip network and interprocessor links of a configuration with wide data transmission channels and a wormhole flow control policy. The existing solutions cannot be applied to such configurations because they are essentially based on using narrow data channels and flow control policies implying uninterrupted packet transmission, which is not maintained with the wormhole flow control. The method proposed in this paper enables the use of hardware compression in the aforementioned configuration by moving data compression and decompression from networks to the connected devices, as well as by using a number of optimizations to hide the data processing delays. Optimizations of some specific cases, such as the transmission of large data packets with several cache lines or the transmission of zero data, are considered. Special attention is given to data transmission via interprocessor links, where, due to their lower bandwidth compared to the on-chip network, data compression can be the most beneficial. The increase in memory subsystem bandwidth from using hardware data compression was confirmed in the experiments showing the relative IPC increase in SPEC CPU2017 benchmarks up to 14 percent.

Enhanced Beacons Dynamic Transmission over TSCH

Time slotted channel hopping (TSCH) has become the standard multichannel MAC protocol for low-power lossy networks. The procedure for associating nodes in a TSCH-based network is not included in the standard and has been defined in the minimal 6TiSCH configuration. Faster network formation ensures that data packet transmission can start sooner. This paper proposes a dynamic beacon transmission schedule over the TSCH mechanism that achieves a shorter network formation time than the default minimum 6TiSCH static schedule. A theoretical model is derived for the proposed mechanism to estimate the expected time for a node to get associated with the network. Simulation results obtained with different network topologies and channel conditions show that the proposed mechanism reduces the average association time and average power consumption during network formation compared to the default minimal 6TiSCH configuration.

Energy Efficient for Data Aggregation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: The Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), known for their decentralized and self-configuring properties, utilize sensor nodes to collect and transmit data to a base station. However, due to their sprawling nature and the substantial distances involved, energy management remains a critical challenge in WSNs. To mitigate this, hierarchical clustering has been identified as an effective strategy. This approach involves dividing the network into clusters of a predetermined size, each led by a cluster head selected based on their energy levels and proximity to the base station. The chosen head is typically the node with the least distance to the base station and the highest energy reserve. These heads facilitate inter-cluster communication and data transfer to the base station. This research presents the implementation and enhancement of the WEMER protocol, aimed at prolonging the lifespan of WSNs. The WEMER protocol initially segments the network into clusters with respective heads and designates leader nodes to relay data from the cluster heads to the base station. Enhancements to this protocol include the deployment of gateway nodes close to the base station. These nodes receive data from the leader nodes, which in turn acquire data from the cluster heads, thus boosting network longevity. Implemented and tested in MATLAB, the enhanced WEMER protocol demonstrates significant improvements over its predecessor. The results indicate a reduction in the number of inactive (dead) nodes, an increase in active (alive) nodes, a higher data packet transmission rate, and improved overall energy efficiency.

Low-power timely random access: Packet-based or connection-based?

This paper studies low-power random access protocols for timely status update systems with information freshness requirements, measured by age of information (AoI). A fundamental challenge for such networks is to schedule a large number of transmitters to access the wireless channel in a way that achieves a low network-wide AoI at low power consumption. Conventional packet-based random access protocols involve transmitters contending for the channel by sending their entire data packets. When packets are of long duration, the time and energy wasted due to packet collisions is considerable. In contrast, connection-based random access protocols establish connections with the receiver before transmitting data packets. From an information freshness perspective, there should be conditions that favor one approach over the other. Therefore, we conduct a comparative study of the average AoI of packet-based and connection-based random access protocols. Specifically, we consider frame slotted Aloha (FSA) as a representative of packet-based random access and design a request-then-access (RTA) protocol for connection-based random access. Our analyses indicate that the choice between packet-based and connection-based protocols depends mainly on the payload size of update packets and the transmit power budget. In particular, RTA significantly reduces AoI and saves power, especially when the payload size is large. Overall, our investigation offers insights into the practical design of random access protocols for low-power timely status update systems.