Enhancing Dependability and Energy Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks Through Communication Techniques: A Comprehensive Review

Nowadays, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) find extensive applications across various fields, such as intelligent farming, water quality monitoring, and smart grid communications. The primary challenges in WSNs revolve around the need for communication techniques that can ensure reliable and energy-efficient data transmission. The focus of current research is on communication techniques specifically tailored for fault detection and diagnosis in WSNs. This research begins by introducing the fundamental concepts of communication and delves into energy-efficient techniques for WSNs, which are critical for prolonging the lifespan of sensor nodes. Various fault detection and diagnosis techniques in WSNs are evaluated to maintain the network’s dependability. Furthermore, we explore different communication methodologies used for various WSN applications. Moreover, we examine the unique challenges and requirements associated with diverse WSN applications, such as intelligent agriculture, water quality monitoring, and smart grid communications. We highlight the communication strategies developed to address these challenges. This work also provides a comprehensive analysis of communication methodologies that play a pivotal role in identifying and diagnosing errors in energy-efficient WSNs for various applications. Finally, we assess the limitations of current communication methodologies and propose recommendations for future research aimed at enhancing the dependability and energy efficiency of WSNs.