Ambient intelligence techniques and smart Internet of Things objects are empowering healthcare professionals to provide better services based on improved vitalsigns data enriched with contextual information. In this paper, we provide an overview of current solutions and propose a new taxonomy for ambient and health sensor data, based on three selected metrics. The proposed UNCHAIN architecture provides a ubiquitous communication system designed to grant seamless integration of current sensor solutions, and to maximize two identified limitations: range and autonomy. Finally, the proposed architecture is validated through a hardware implementation, with impressive results in terms of energy efficiency.