In recent years, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are attracting more attention in many fields as they are extensively used in a wide range of applications, such as environment monitoring, the Internet of Things, industrial operation control, electric distribution, and the oil industry. One of the major concerns in these networks is the limited energy sources. Clustering and routing algorithms represent one of the critical issues that directly contribute to power consumption in WSNs. Therefore, optimization techniques and routing protocols for such networks have to be studied and developed. This paper focuses on the most recent studies and algorithms that handle energy-efficiency clustering and routing in WSNs. In addition, the prime issues in these networks are discussed and summarized using comparison tables, including the main features, limitations, and the kind of simulation toolbox. Energy efficiency is compared between some techniques and showed that according to clustering mode “Distributed” and CH distribution “Uniform”, HEED and EECS are best, while in the non-uniform clustering, both DDAR and THC are efficient. According to clustering mode “Centralized” and CH distribution “Uniform”, the LEACH-C protocol is more effective.
