Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are computer networks consisting of sensor nodes.In position-based protocols nodes broadcast messages containing their position information periodically. These messages are called beacons. The use of beacons however has downsides, which led to the emerging of beaconless algorithms. Despite their importance in the research area of computer networks and to the best of our knowledge, beaconless algorithms have not been systematically surveyed. The aim of this work is a comprehensive, systematic review of beaconless algorithms since the turn of the millennium. Relevant articles are categorized based on their similarities and their differences are compared. Thus, this work serves as a reference to the current state of research of beaconless algorithms and as a basis for finding research gaps.