Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have emerged as critical components in modern communication systems due to their extensive applications in environmental monitoring, military surveillance, healthcare, and industrial automation. However, WSNs face inherent challenges, including limited energy resources, dynamic network topology, and security vulnerabilities, which can degrade network performance and data integrity. Energy-aware routing protocols address the energy constraint by optimizing the selection of routing paths to prolong network lifetime while balancing load among sensor nodes. Concurrently, secure communication protocols are essential to protect sensitive information against various attacks such as eavesdropping, data tampering, and node compromise. This research focuses on the design and analysis of energy-aware routing protocols that integrate security mechanisms tailored for WSNs. The study evaluates existing protocols, identifies gaps in energy efficiency and security trade-offs, and proposes a framework that balances both objectives. Simulation results demonstrate that energy-aware secure routing significantly improves network lifetime, reduces packet loss, and maintains data confidentiality and integrity. This research contributes to the advancement of resilient, long-lasting, and secure wireless sensor networks suitable for critical applications