Streaming multimedia over WMSNs: an online multipath routing protocol

TL;DR

This paper introduces an online multipath routing protocol for WMSNs that makes real-time forwarding decisions based on node positions, improving energy efficiency, load balancing, and QoS for multimedia streaming without requiring full network topology knowledge.

Contribution

It presents a novel online multipath routing protocol that uses local node information for real-time decision-making, enhancing energy efficiency and scalability in WMSNs.

Findings

Maximizes network lifespan by preventing energy drain on specific nodes.

Provides QoS for video streams using optimal routing nodes.

Scales effectively in high-density WMSNs.

Abstract

Routing is a challenge to Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSNs) for supporting multimedia applications due to nodes' energy constraints and computational capabilities, and the ways sensor nodes obtain forwarding information. In this paper, we propose an online multipath routing protocol that uses nodes' positions to make forwarding decisions at each hop. Real-time decisions are made without any need to have the entire network topology knowledge. The protocol achieves load-balancing and minimises nodes' energy consumption by utilizing: (a) smart greedy forwarding scheme for selecting next hop, and (b) walking back forwarding scheme to bypass network holes. Performance comparisons of the proposed protocol (schemes) are made with TPGF and GPSR. The results show that our schemes: (a) maximise the overall network lifespan by not draining energy from some specific nodes, (b) provide QoS delivery for video streams by using best nodes along the route, and (c) scale better in high density WMSN.