A Survey on Optimization of Energy Consumption and Inequality in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have emerged as a critical component of numerous applications, ranging from environmental monitoring to disaster management and smart cities. Despite their extensive utility, WSN face challenges related to energy consumption and resource distribution inequality, which can substantially affect their performance and network lifetime. This survey paper provides an extensive analysis of the existing literature on energy consumption and inequality optimization techniques in WSN, drawing critical insights and identifying potential avenues for future research. We begin by discussing the main factors contributing to energy consumption and inequality in WSN, such as communication overhead, suboptimal routing mechanisms, uneven distribution of workload, and limited energy resources. The survey examines a variety of optimization techniques, focusing on energy-efficient routing, clustering methods, and equitable load distribution.