Adaptive Load-Aware Congestion Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Congestion control in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is crucial. In this article, we discuss congestion control and the adaptive load-aware problem for sensor nodes in WSNs. When the traffic load of a specific node exceeds its the available capacity of the node, a congestion problem occurs because of buffer memory overflow. Congestion may cause serious problems such as packet loss, the consumption of power, and low network throughput for sensor nodes. To address these problems, we propose a distributed congestion control protocol called adaptive load-aware congestion control protocol (ALACCP). The protocol can adaptively allocate the appropriate forwarding rate for jammed sensor nodes to mitigate the congestion load. Through the buffer management mechanism, the congestion index of neighboring sensor nodes, and an adjustment of the adaptive forwarding rate, the degree of congestion is alleviated markedly. The performance in allocating the forwarding rate effectively to neighboring sensor nodes also improves. The ALACCP can avoid packet loss because of traffic congestion, reduce the power consumption of nodes, and improve the network throughput. Simulation results revealed that the proposed ALACCP can effectively improve network performance and maintain the fairness of networks.