Distributed Topology Control Techniques for Wireless Sensor Networks: An Overview

Abstract

The recent technological innovations and development like the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Grids and Smart Environment applications tend to enhance the scalability, self-organizing capability of the mesh networks as well as the wireless sensor networks. As the wireless sensor network have limited energy resources, there is a need of utilizing these limitations in an efficient way in order to accomplish such advanced energy efficiency and better lifetime can be taken care by the operation of topology control methods. In this survey the issue of energy efficiency is formed upon and a comprehensive study of topology control technologies that can be used for enhancement of battery lifetime in WSNs is presented. An insight of how energy efficiency can be achieved by design is provided by review of the significant topology control algorithms based on the energy conservation approach adopted, those algorithms are classified further and evaluated on the basis of communication so as to aid the designer to select best suitable techniques for their applications. A number of open research issues for achieving the energy efficiency by means of controlling topology are identified based on the survey conducted.