RWPS: a low computation routing algorithm for sensor networks

The recent interest in sensor networks has led to a number of routing schemes that use the limited resources available at sensor nodes more efficiently. These schemes typically try to find the minimum energy path to optimize the power consumption at a node. In this paper we propose an energy-efficient routing algorithm designed for sensor networks where an end-user wants to monitor remotely the environment. In such a situation, the data collected by each sensor must be sent to a central base station. We develop the remote watching power saving (RWPS) communication system, which involves routing and MAC layers, with the purpose of maximizing the lifetime of the sensor network distributing semirandomly the load in the network and minimizing the routing signaling traffic.