IoT-Enabled Energy-Efficient and Long-Range Solution for Remote Patient Monitoring Using Bluetooth Low Energy 5.x

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) by enabling real-time data transfer. Traditional systems suffer from high energy usage and limited range, making them less suitable for long-term monitoring. This paper presents a novel wearable sensor node leveraging latest Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 features, such as long-range communication and energy-efficient extended advertising. The system integrates an ultra-low-power ARM M33 MCU, a motion sensor for activity tracking, and cloud connectivity for remote monitoring. The Physical Layer (PHY) modes, which determine on-air data transfer, significantly impact communication reliability. Challenges like packet loss are common, especially at extended ranges. Typical solutions involve increasing transmit power or implementing retransmission strategies, each with energy implications. The proposed system pioneers the evaluation of BLE modes—LE 1M and LE Coded PHY—on energy consumption and data transfer reliability of a broadcaster for sensor data transmission in real-time clinical settings. Experimental results reveal that while the conventional LE 1M reduces data transfer time by 84.92%, it increases Packet Loss Rates (PLR). In contrast, the latest LE Coded PHY reduces packet loss to just 2% at ranges upto 300 m but decreases battery life by 42.58%, still allowing a projected 2.6-year lifespan. To address power consumption, we propose a Dynamic PHY Switching Algorithm (DPSA) that adapts PHY modes. Results are validated on an IoT platform, providing insights for selecting BLE PHY for energy-efficient e-healthcare beacons.