A Transmission Power Optimisation Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) consist of a collection of independent sensor nodes that monitor certain conditions in different locations and transfer data through a network to an endpoint called base station. Because WSN nodes are often deployed outdoors where a direct power outlet may not be available, energy efficiency becomes a key factor in the design of WSNs. This work proposes an antenna transmission power optimisation algorithm (TPOA) which dynamically adjusts the power level of the transmission according to the last received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The mechanism was implemented and tested on an XbeeWSNthat uses a modifiedMixed Hop and signalReceived routing for mobile Wireless Sensor Networks (MHRWSN) protocol. The energy consumption results have shown that the proposed system can save as much as 76% of power in Tx operations while maintaining a packet reception rate of above 85%