Split and Merge LEACH Based Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

Hierarchical routing and clustering mechanisms in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) help to reduce both the energy consumption, and the overhead that is created when all the sensor nodes in the network are sending information to the central data collection point or base station. LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) is one of the most well-known energy efficient clustering algorithms for WSNs. In this paper, we extend the LEACH protocol to (LEACH-SM) protocol by introducing a Split and Merge stage to improve the performance and robustness. We consider the following design aspects: non-uniform distribution of sensors, cluster re-formation by splitting or merging clusters conditionally, routes maintenance, and nodes mobility. OPNET, a well-known simulator tool, is used to simulate LEACH-SM in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol. Simulation results and comparisons with existing protocols show the effectiveness and strength of the proposed protocol in terms of enhancing the lifetime of the whole sensor network, where sensors are either static or mobile with low speed.