Enhanced QoS-Aware Routing Protocol for Delay Sensitive Data in Wireless Body Area Networks

Abstract

The Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) shows potential as a technology that can provide high-quality healthcare services to its users. However, the limited battery life of low-power devices attached to the body is a challenge. The data must be sent through a reliable connection with minimum delay to the healthcare centre since it directly influences user satisfaction. In case of potentially fatal situation, transmitting data at the right time is important. Therefore, more policies and methods for better end-toend performance of a network are required. In this paper, the end-to-end delay of network over a wireless channel from sensor to healthcare centre has been analyzed. The proposed work presents an Enhanced Quality of Service Aware Routing Protocol for Delay Sensitive Data (EQRD). EQRD reduces the delay by proposing a Bandwidth Utilization Constant to maximize the utilization of channel capacity. It finds the best minimum number of slots that can be used for data transmission for the minimization of delay and maximization of throughput. By analyzing various parameters, the EQRD protocol's effectiveness was evaluated in relation to other delay-aware routing protocols. The findings indicate that the proposed protocol has superior performance with regards to throughput, energy efficiency, and delay.