A hybrid range-free localization algorithm for zigbee wireless sensor networks

Localization is one of the key aspects of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that has attracted significant research interest. A wide variety of proposed approaches regarding the research topic has recently emerged; however, the majority of the existing approaches are limited by at least one of the following restrictions: inaccuracy, high cost, fast energy depletion, inappropriate indoor performance, or the requirement of an additional positioning hardware. In this paper, we present the research and development of a hybrid range-free WSN localization system, using the hop-count and received signal strength (RSS) methods. The proposed system is reliable and efficient indoors in terms of localization accuracy, cost and power consumption. Reference and target nodes have been designed and implemented, while real experiments have been carried out to assess the proposed system’s efficiency.