Networks Design and Evaluation of a Zone-Based Energy-Efficient Routing Protocol for Hybrid Wireless Networks
Rani Sahu, Vinay Sahu, Seema Joshi, Sujeet Kumar, Sachin Malviya, Anju Kakkad · 2025
Hybrid Wireless Networks (HWNs), which combine Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs) and infrastructure-based systems, require efficient routing strategies to optimize energy consumption and balance network load in dynamic, resource-limited environments. This work suggests a zone-based energy-efficient and load-balanced routing protocol (ZEELRP) as a viable solution. ZEELRP partitions the network into zones, where leader nodes (LNs) are chosen according to their residual energy and connectivity to handle routing. Gateway nodes (GNs) enable inter-zone communication and interaction with the hybrid system. The protocol guarantees energy efficiency and load balancing through energy efficiency metrics (EEM) and load balance index (LBI) during data transmission. Dynamic re-routing and dynamic updates for LNs and GNs enhance network robustness against mobility and energy depletion. Simulation results indicate that ZEELRP dramatically improves energy efficiency, load balancing, and network lifetime, verifying its scalability and robustness for energy-sensitive hybrid networks.