Compare algorithm parameter settings.

This study develops an enhanced Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (ASBOA) based on the original Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (SBOA), aiming to further improve the solution accuracy and convergence speed for wireless sensor network (WSN) deployment and engineering optimization problems. Firstly, a differential collaborative search mechanism is introduced in the exploration phase to reduce the risk of the algorithm falling into local optima. Additionally, an optimal boundary control mechanism is employed to prevent ineffective exploration and enhance convergence speed. Simultaneously, an information retention control mechanism is utilized to update the population. This mechanism ensures that individuals that fail to update have a certain probability of being retained in the next generation population, while guaranteeing that the current global optimal solution remains unchanged, thereby accelerating the algorithm’s convergence. The ASBOA algorithm was evaluated using the CEC2017 and CEC2022 benchmark test functions and compared with other algorithms (such as PSO, GWO, DBO, and CPO). The results show that in the CEC2017 30-dimensional case, ASBOA performed best on 23 out of 30 functions; in the CEC2017 100-dimensional case, ASBOA performed best on 26 out of 30 functions; and in the CEC2022 20-dimensional case, it performed best on 9 out of 12 functions. Furthermore, the convergence curves and boxplot results indicate that ASBOA has faster convergence speed and robustness. Finally, ASBOA was applied to WSN problems and three engineering design problems (three-bar truss, tension/compression spring, and cantilever beam design). In the engineering problems, ASBOA consistently outperformed competing methods, while in the WSN deployment scenario, it achieved a coverage rate of 88.32%, an improvement of 1.12% over the standard SBOA. These results demonstrate that the proposed ASBOA has strong overall performance and significant potential in solving complex optimization problems. Although ASBOA performs well in these problems, its performance in high-dimensional multimodal problems and complex constrained optimization is unstable, and the introduced strategies add some complexity. Additionally, different parameter settings may lead to varying results, and the sensitivity of different problems to these parameters can also differ. It is necessary to adjust the settings according to the specific problem at hand in order to further refine and achieve a more stable version.