Comparative study of software vs. hardware implementations of shortened Reed-Solomon code for Wireless Body Area Networks

The power and reliability of communication are important factors in the design of wireless sensor networks. This paper examines the use of a shortened Reed-Solomon code for power reduction in patient-monitoring application Wireless Body Area Network. The implementations of the scheme on an 8-bit micro-controller and on an FPGA are presented. The paper compares the energy consumption of the designs that are derived from the power measurements and packet rates. Shown also is energy savings on an ASIC implementation, derived from the results using Synopsis Prime Time PX.