## 2 Related Work  
### Importance of Simulations for Wireless Sensor Networks  
Nowadays, WSN requirements are rapidly growing due to their integration into different applications. WSN simulators are known as the most-used approach for protocol testing. Most researchers in the field of WSNs use simulators to predict a node's behavior because simulators provide several advantages such as test period and flexibility. Every WSN application has to involve a conception and a design phase. After that, the test phase takes place. The simulation phase is relevant to help both designers and researchers obtain a general idea of the network. Many studies and surveys on available WSN simulation environments have been presented in the literature [12; 13; 14]. A study [13] shows that the design and optimization of specialized WSN platforms and communication protocols typically rely on simulation tools, which have been designed to explore and validate WSN systems before actual implementation and real-world deployment. The ability to integrate real testing conditions into a simulator interface enhances the challenge of network accuracy and reliability. Additionally, the prediction of parameters that can affect communication can be taken into account, e.g., the variation in RSSI and PER degradation. This classifies simulation as the most-used evaluation technique in the wireless communication field due to its low-cost implementation and ease of use [12]. In [14], a statistical overview was performed on 403 papers to compare the most commonly used simulators from a research point of view. Figure 4 shows that the most-cited simulators are network simulator 2 (NS2),tiny OS simulator (TOSSIM), and OMNeT++ discrete event simulators. Figure 4: Number of citations that present different wireless sensor network simulators according to [14]. The OMNeT++ discrete event simulator is among the top list of simulating tools that have drawn significant interest in research. Although the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator provides powerful and precise simulation frameworks, such as Simu5G, Veins, RinaSim, INET framework, etc. [15], the most-utilized framework is the INET framework, which provides protocols, agents, and other models for researchers and students working with communication networks. INET is especially useful when designing and validating protocols or exploring new or exotic scenarios. In [16], the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator proved to be excellent WSN simulation software; its functions follow the needs of WSN simulation. Compared with NS2, the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator has better performance, but it also has some advantages over optimized network engineering tools (OPNET), which is expensive commercial software. In [17], the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator was a great tool to obtain performance indicators such, as data extraction rate (DER), energy depleted by nodes, and loss rate of transferred packets in WSN. In [18], the author modulated the impact of temperature and humidity on the RSSI in the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator using Panstamp AVR2 wireless sensor nodes. According to the author, OMNeT++ was chosen as a simulator because of its hierarchical architecture that simplifies the integration of new modules; additionally, it is powerful graphical user interface (GUI). Table 1 classes the three most-mentioned software cited according to [14] and makes a comparison for different specifications.