Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are fundamental to security and surveillance applications such as military defense, disaster management, and intrusion monitoring. The performance of these networks depends largely on the efficiency of routing protocols. This paper examines the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol in multi-hop WSN environments for target tracking, evaluating critical metrics including Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), End-to-End Delay, Energy Consumption, and Network Lifetime. Simulation results illustrate the impact of node depletion due to transmission loss, affecting network stability and robustness in target detection. In-network detection in WSNs presents trade-offs between real-time data transmission, energy efficiency, and trajectory lifespan. Inefficient routing optimization may result in increased latency, packet loss, and premature node failure, ultimately reducing localization accuracy. While AODV’s reactive path-based approach offers manageable overhead, its performance degrades under increased energy consumption and route rediscovery delays. This study systematically evaluates AODV’s strengths and limitations in time-sensitive detection scenarios. Findings indicate that AODV ensures reliable data transmission in early network stages but suffers significant performance deterioration as node energy declines, impacting coverage and responsiveness. To enhance AODV’s target tracking capabilities, this paper proposes adaptive energy-saving techniques and hybrid routing schemes. These strategies contribute to ongoing research aimed at optimizing routing protocols to balance accuracy and node longevity for real-time WSN applications.