Performance Analysis of ZigBee Wireless Networks for AAL through Hybrid Ray Launching and Collaborative Filtering

Abstract

This paper presents a novel hybrid simulation method based on the combination of an in-house developed 3D ray launching algorithm and a collaborative filtering (CF) technique, which will be used to analyze the performance of ZigBee-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to enable ambient assisted living (AAL). The combination of Low Definition results obtained by means of a deterministic ray launching method and the application of a CF technique leads to a drastic reduction of the time and computational cost required to obtain accurate simulation results. The paper also reports that this kind of AAL indoor complex scenario with multiple wireless devices needs a thorough and personalized radioplanning analysis as radiopropagation has a strong dependence on the network topology and the specific morphology of the scenario. The wireless channel analysis performed by our hybrid method provides valuable insight into network design phases of complex wireless systems, typical in AAL-oriented environments. Thus, it results in optimizing network deployment, reducing overall interference levels, and increasing the overall system performance in terms of cost reduction, transmission rates, and energy efficiency.

Zigbee Wireless Sensor Networks: Performance Study in an Apartment-Based Indoor Environment

“…Communication between the XCTU software and XBee modules was performed through the XBee USB interface connected to a personal computer (i.e., a laptop) using a USB cable as shown in Figure 2. e reasons behind using Digi's XBee Zigbee modules are that they are quite popular among research communities for Zigbee experimentations in different environments [39][40][41] including indoor environments [30,[42][43][44][45] and that they are low-cost devices. Moreover, the manufacturer states that their modules can interact with other standard Zigbee modules or devices [46].…”

Enhanced Wireless Channel Estimation Through Parametric Optimization of Hybrid Ray Launching-Collaborative Filtering Technique

“…their corresponding most similar profiles). Therefore, given a pattern with inconsistent/erroneous values, we will select its k most similar patterns (according to a ground truth database) to infer/predict the RF power level [38], [25].…”