# Analyzing the Performance of WBAN Links during Physical Activity Using Real Multi-Band Sensor Nodes
## 5 Conclusions  
An empirical evaluation of the performance of various WBAN links in several everyday scenarios and activities has been carried out in this work. Two static activities, standing and sitting, and two dynamic activities, cycling and walking, were characterized in terms of the RSSI and PRR metrics. During the experiments, the effects of several parameters and variables on these metrics were studied and characterized. In particular, we analyzed the impact of the frequency band, transmit power, node placement and, for the walking activity, the effect of the different cadence and gait cycle of three subjects.  
The results of this work have empirically shown a correspondence--in terms of reliability--between wireless channel variations and particular motions and postures of different activities. Specifically, our experiments have characterized the negative effect of body tissue interrupting the signal path and increasing the NLOS part of wireless links, confirming the theoretical assumption derived from path loss equations.  
A key contribution of this work is to provide researchers with an empirical performance benchmark of WBAN channels under different conditions, activities and scenarios. Future designers of WBANs can use this information to adapt their strategies and algorithms to these characteristics.  
The following are available online at [[https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3)]([https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3)) 417/11/7/2920/sl. The complete dataset of measurements for all scenarios is available online at [[http://elb105.com/wban-characterization/](http://elb105.com/wban-characterization/)]([http://elb105.com/wban-characterization/](http://elb105.com/wban-characterization/)), accessed on 25 March 2021.  
**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.R., A.A. and J.M.R.; methodology, A.R., A.A. and J.M.R.; software, A.R.; validation, A.R., A.A. and J.M.R.; formal analysis, A.R.; investigation, A.R., resources, A.R., A.A. and J.M.R.; data curation, A.R.; writing--original draft preparation, A.R.; writing--review and editing, A.R., A.A. and J.M.R.; visualization, A.R.; supervision, A.A. and J.M.R.; project administration, A.A.; funding acquisition, A.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** This research was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under CDTI program (ROBIM and BLANCOK projects), and by a grant from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid to fund [PERSON] five-month research stay at the University of California, Berkeley.  
**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study  
**Data Availability Statement:** The data presented in this study are available at the links provided in the Supplementary Material section above.  
**Acknowledgments:** The authors want to thank the members of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC) and B105 Electronic Systems Lab for their help and guidance, especially [PERSON] for his inspiring research in the field and [PERSON] for developing the test platform. They also would like to thank friends and family members that helped with measurements during the COVID-19 lockdown periods, especially [PERSON] who served as a subject for some of the experiments.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.