A Comprehensive Review of Energy Efficient Routing Protocols in Delay Tolerant Networks: Categorization, Insights, Comparative and Empirical Evaluation
Jul 2026· Wireless personal communications· Vol 146, pp. 5219 - 5264· 0 citations· 72 references
TL;DR
This paper empirically analyses the existing routing protocols such as Epidemic, Spray and Wait, Prophet, Encounter Based Routing using different parameters, such as number of nodes, buffer size, etc., to analyse energy consumption in terms of overhead.
Energy-efficient and robust routing remains a critical problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where limited energy resources and dynamic topologies hinder performance. To address this challenge, a novel cluster-based routing protocol FGOGNN is proposed in this paper, which integrates a Fungal Growth Optimizer (FGO) for adaptive cluster head (CH) selection and a Graph Neural Network (GNN) for inter-cluster routing. The FGO simulates fungal growth processes, ensuring balanced and energy-efficient CH selection while preventing premature convergence. In the routing phase, the GNN dynamically adapts routing paths by leveraging node energy, connectivity, and directional edge features, offering low computational overhead while maintaining accuracy. Extensive simulations show that FGOGNN outperforms existing routing protocols, extending network lifetime by up to 75% and improving throughput by 38%, with a reduction in end-to-end delay. These results demonstrate FGOGNN’s potential for deployment in real-time WSN applications, where energy efficiency and dynamic adaptability are paramount.
Huang-shui Hu, Shuo Liu, Qier Kang et al.· Symmetry· 0 citations
A cluster-based proactive routing protocol designed for three-tier energy-heterogeneous WSNs, aiming to enhance network lifetime and energy efficiency, and modified to address the challenge of long transmission distances for low-power nodes by strategically deploying them in specific network zones.
F. A. Mohamed, E. Hassan, M. Dessouky et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
A novel energy-efficient multipath routing for load balancing (EMRD-LB) is capable of improving the routing performance and reducing delay, reduces packets dropping and improves data receiving.
Aradhana Saxena, Nitika Vats· International journal of com...· 0 citations
The core research goal of this paper is to optimize dynamic routing protocols to improve the performance of the classic LEACH protocol in heterogeneous WSNs through a real-time adaptive scheme, which relies on two core methods: a cluster head selection mechanism based on the residual energy criterion, and a priority hop count strategy.
Vishwajit K. Barbudhe, Shruti Dixit· International journal of com...· 0 citations
The results indicate that E2CMR improves energy efficiency, network stability, and routing performance and is applicable for large-scale energy-constrained WSNs.
Sushma Priyadarshini, A. T· International journal of com...· 0 citations
The proposed Energy-Efficient Adaptive On-Demand Distance Vector protocol to reduce extra Route Request (RREQ) packets based on local node density demonstrates that reducing control packets is an effective solution for high-density MANET environments to maintain network stability.
Sonu Kumar, Ambuj Bhushan Gautam, K. Govil· International Journal of Adv...· 0 citations