Bridging Between IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11b Networks for Multiparameter Healthcare Sensing

In this paper we consider the interconnection of an IEEE 802.15.4 body area network (BAN) in which nodes sense physiological variables such as electrocardiography (EKG), electroencephalography (EEG), pulse oximeter data, blood pressure and cardiac output, with an IEEE 802.11b room/ward WLAN. We model the operation of this two-tier network assuming that 802.15.4 BAN operates in CSMA-CA mode and that the BAN coordinator acts as the bridge which conveys BAN packets to the 802.11b access point. We analyze the two-hop network delay and discuss the mutual interaction of different data streams as well as impact of the number of bridges on packet delay.