Interoperability in heterogeneous Low-Power Wireless Networks for Health Monitoring Systems
Ensuring interoperability in the future Internet of Things applications can be a challenging task, especially in mission-critical applications such as Health Monitoring Systems. Existing low-power wireless network architectures are designed in isolated networks, and ensure a satisfying level of performance in homogeneous networks. However, with co-existence of different low-power networks, the interoperability related problems arise. To bridge this gap in this paper, we study various protocol stacks (i.e., Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN and IEEE 802.15.6), and explain their specific features. Furthermore, we provide a generic protocol stack design that facilitates multiple radios with different protocol stacks, regardless of being IP-based or non-IP-based networks. We see this approach as a possibility to enhance network performance in terms of reliability, timeliness, and security, while providing higher levels of scalability and connectivity.