Performance analysis of ZigBee technology for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks

Abstract

A Wireless Body Area Sensor Network (WBASN) is a radiofrequency (RF) based wireless networking technology that interconnects tiny nodes with sensor or actuator capabilities in, on or around a human body. Complementing the coverage of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), WBASNs target diverse applications. This paper extensively evaluates the performance of ZigBee technology for WBASN-WPAN system by analysis and computer simulations. Specifically, we configure the system deployment, network structure, applicable data rates for WBASN sensor nodes, and underlying radio parameters. Average reception ratio, throughput and latency have been evaluated for the overall system performance; fairness across sensor nodes has been examined; preliminary results regarding mobility support of ZigBee for WBASN are also shown. After examining the performance of ZigBee network with our WBASN-WPAN configurations, we come to the conclusion that serveral optimizations should be done before applying ZigBee to such a system. © 2010 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.