Enhancing the Lifetime of WSN Using a Modified Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been extensively used in various fields, such as health, defense, education, and industrial applications, to collect and transmit environmental data to the base station. However, energy efficiency is a significant challenge in WSNs, as data transmission is typically limited to a single route, leading to excessive energy consumption by the nodes along that route. This can lead to a decrease in the network's overall efficiency and effectiveness. To address this issue, this study aims to extend the lifespan of WSNs by optimizing route selection based on three variables: residual node energy, distance to the base station, and number of shared neighbors. In this paper, the authors propose three systematic approaches, namely Energy-Aware ACO Routing (EACO), Cost-Effective ACO Routing (CEACO), and Cost-Efficient Node Replacement Strategies ACO (CERACO), to enhance the lifetime of WSNs. These approaches consider various factors such as cost, energy consumption, replacement, and reliability. The paper provides a practical guide for researchers and practitioners to overcome the challenges related to energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness in WSNs. Experimental results demonstrate that the first dead node occurs later with the proposed methods than with the traditional Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm.