Publication
Comparing BLE and ESP-NOW for WBAN Applications: A Ring Topology Approach using Dynamic Extended Advertising
Jan Herbst; Robin Müller; Hans Dieter Schotten (Hrsg.)
EuCNC/6G Summit (EUCNC & 6G SUMMIT-2025), June 3-6, Poznan, Poland, EuCNC & 6G Summit, IEEE-Explore, 7/2025.
Abstract
Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have emerged as enablers for healthcare applications, offering low-power, short-range communication for
continuous patient monitoring and data transmission.
This work introduces a newly implemented ring topology for WBAN-approaches on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and compares it against the ESP-NOW protocol it was first implemented on. Therefore latency, energy efficiency, trade-offs between the protocols, and
robustness are discussed within the WBAN context. Based on IEEE Std. 802.11-2012, ESP-NOW provides ultra-low latency and higher data rates, but energy consumption, and susceptibility to interference pose challenges. Conversely, BLE excels in energy efficiency, scalability, and widespread device compatibility but suffers from higher latency and limited data rates. The study evaluates the BLE-based implementation of the reworked new ring topology-based protocol structure, utilizing BLE 5.0 extended advertisements for asynchronous communication, against its implementation on ESP-NOW. Experimental results conducted on a custom-designed PCB platform centered around the ESP32-S3,
demonstrate BLE’s suitability for energy-sensitive applications and ESP-NOW’s dominance in real-time scenarios. These results not only show the strengths of the implemented ring topology but also provide information on the choice of protocol for WBAN applications and illustrate the potential for hybrid solutions that utilize the strengths of both approaches.