A Modified Energy-Efficient Clustering with Splitting and Merging for Wireless Sensor Networks using Cluster-Head Handover Mechanism

Energy efficiency is one of the most important challenges for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). This is due to the fact that sensor nodes have limited energy capacity. Therefore, the energy of sensor nodes has to be efficiently managed to provide longer lifetime for the network. To reduce energy consumption in WSNs, a modified Energy Efficient Clustering with Splitting and Merging (EECSM) for WSNs using Cluster-Head Handover Mechanism was implemented in this research. The modified model used information of the residual energy of sensor nodes to select backup Cluster Heads (CHs) while maintaining a suitable CH handover threshold to minimize energy consumption in the network. The backup CHs take over the responsibilities of the CHs once the handover threshold is reached. The modified model was validated in terms of network lifetime and residual energy ratio with EECSM using MATLAB R2013a. Average improvements of 7.5% and 50.7% were achieved for the network lifetime and residual energy ratio respectively which indicates a significant reduction in energy consumption of the network nodes. Keywords — Clustering, Energy-Efficiency, Handover, Lifetime, Wireless Sensor Network