A Framework for Planning LoRaWan Networks

open3siWe set ourselves from the perspective of a LoRaWAN network operator and we introduce a mathematical programming framework to jointly optimize network layout and network configuration at design time. The proposed framework returns the most cost-effective network layout in terms of gateways position, gateways backhaul configuration and LoRaWAN physical parameters configuration under tight constraints of end node coverage, end-to-end message transmission latency and message extraction rate. Numerical results obtained on realistic network instances demonstrate that the proposed approach leads to network configuration with superior performance with respect to coverage-only classical design policies.openCesana, Matteo; Redondi, Alessandro; Ortin, JorgeCesana, Matteo; Redondi, Alessandro; Ortin, Jorg

Impact of EU duty cycle and transmission power limitations for sub-GHz LPWAN SRDs : an overview and future challenges

Long-range sub-GHz technologies such as LoRaWAN, SigFox, IEEE 802.15.4, and DASH7 are increasingly popular for academic research and daily life applications. However, especially in the European Union (EU), the use of their corresponding frequency bands are tightly regulated, since they must confirm to the short-range device (SRD) regulations. Regulations and standards for SRDs exist on various levels, from global to national, but are often a source of confusion. Not only are multiple institutes responsible for drafting legislation and regulations, depending on the type of document can these rules be informational or mandatory. Regulations also vary from region to region; for example, regulations in the United States of America (USA) rely on electrical field strength and harmonic strength, while EU regulations are based on duty cycle and maximum transmission power. A common misconception is the presence of a common 1% duty cycle, while in fact the duty cycle is frequency band-specific and can be loosened under certain circumstances. This paper clarifies the various regulations for the European region, the parties involved in drafting and enforcing regulation, and the impact on recent technologies such as SigFox, LoRaWAN, and DASH7. Furthermore, an overview is given of potential mitigation approaches to cope with the duty cycle constraints, as well as future research directions

A Survey on Long-Range Wide-Area Network Technology Optimizations

Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) enables flexible long-range service communications with low power consumption which is suitable for many IoT applications. The densification of LoRaWAN, which is needed to meet a wide range of IoT networking requirements, poses further challenges. For instance, the deployment of gateways and IoT devices are widely deployed in urban areas, which leads to interference caused by concurrent transmissions on the same channel. In this context, it is crucial to understand aspects such as the coexistence of IoT devices and applications, resource allocation, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, network planning, and mobility support, that directly affect LoRaWAN’s performance.We present a systematic review of state-of-the-art works for LoRaWAN optimization solutions for IoT networking operations. We focus on five aspects that directly affect the performance of LoRaWAN. These specific aspects are directly associated with the challenges of densification of LoRaWAN. Based on the literature analysis, we present a taxonomy covering five aspects related to LoRaWAN optimizations for efficient IoT networks. Finally, we identify key research challenges and open issues in LoRaWAN optimizations for IoT networking operations that must be further studied in the future

Empowering the Internet of Vehicles with Multi-RAT 5G Network Slicing

Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a hot research niche exploiting the synergy between Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which can greatly benefit of the upcoming development of 5G technologies. The variety of end-devices, applications, and Radio Access Technologies (RATs) in IoV calls for new networking schemes that assure the Quality of Service (QoS) demanded by the users. To this end, network slicing techniques enable traffic differentiation with the aim of ensuring flow isolation, resource assignment, and network scalability. This work fills the gap of 5G network slicing for IoV and validates it in a realistic vehicular scenario. It offers an accurate bandwidth control with a full flow-isolation, which is essential for vehicular critical systems. The development is based on a distributed Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) architecture, which provides flexibility for the dynamic placement of the Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) in charge of managing network traffic. The solution is able to integrate heterogeneous radio technologies such as cellular networks and specific IoT communications with potential in the vehicular sector, creating isolated network slices without risking the Core Network (CN) scalability. The validation results demonstrate the framework capabilities of short and predictable slice-creation time, performance/QoS assurance and service scalability of up to one million connected devices.EC/H2020/825496/EU/5G for cooperative & connected automated MOBIility on X-border corridors/5G-MOBI

IoTMapper: a metrics aggregation system architecture in support of smart city solutions

Smart cities are, nowadays, an unavoidable and growing reality, supported on software platforms that support city management, through the processing and presentation of a large number of data, obtained from sensors used throughout the cities. Low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) leverage the sensorization process; however, urban landscape, in turn, induces a high probability of change in the propagation conditions of the LPWAN network, thus requiring active monitoring solutions for assessing the city LPWAN network condition. Currently existing solutions usually consider the existence of only one type of LPWAN network to be monitored. In this paper, an architecture for aggregation of metrics from heterogeneous LPWAN networks is presented. The architecture, named IoTMapper, combines purpose build components with existing components from the FIWARE and Apache Kafka ecosystems. Implementation details for the LPWAN networks are abstracted by adapters so that new networks may be easily added. The validation was carried out using real data collected for long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) in Lisbon, and a simulated data set extrapolated from the collected data. The results indicate that the presented architecture is a viable solution for metrics aggregation that may be expanded to support multiple networks. However, some of the considered FIWARE components present performance bottlenecks that may hinder the scaling of the architecture while processing new message arrivals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

LoRaWAN AS PART OF A SMART CITY STRATEGY

The LoRaWAN technology is repeatedly mentioned in connection with smart city initiatives, as it moves in the field of connectivity and IoT environment. This paper examines the role of LoRaWAN in smart city strategy and what vulnerabilities are known in the project using LoRaWAN. With help of a concrete use case of the city of Pforzheim (Germany), a SWOT model is set up and tested with experts. From this it can be deduced that the LoRaWAN technology is currently undergoing an interesting development but also has to overcome any hurdles in the urban environment

A Smart Waste Management System Framework Using IoT and LoRa for Green City Project

Waste management is a pressing concern for society, requiring substantial labor resources and impacting various social aspects. Green cities strive for achieving a net zero-carbon footprint, including efficient waste management. The waste management system deals with three problems that are interrelated: a) the timely checking of the status of bins to prevent overflow; b) checking the precise location of bins; and c) finding the optimal route to the filled bins. The existing systems fail to satisfy all three problem areas with a single solution. To track the overflow of the bin, the proposed model uses ultrasonic sensors, which are complemented with LoRa to transmit the exact location of the bins in a real-time environment. The existing models are not that efficient at calculating the exact bin-filled status along with the precise location of the bins. The Floyd-Warshall algorithm in the proposed model optimizes waste collection using the Floyd-Warshall algorithm to determine the shortest path. Leveraging low-cost IoT technologies, specifically LoRa modules for data transfer, our solution offers benefits such as simplicity, affordability, and ease of replacement. By employing the Floyd-Warshall algorithm with a time complexity of O (n^3), our method efficiently determines the most optimal waste pickup route, saving time and resources. This study presents a smart waste management solution utilising Arduino UNO microcontrollers, ultrasonic sensors, and LoRaWAN to measure waste levels accurately. The proposed strategy aims to create clean and pollution-free cities by addressing the problem of waste distribution caused by poor collection techniques

LPWA-based IoT Technology Selection for Smart Metering Deployment in Urban and Sub Urban Areas: A State Electricity Company Perspective

The need for LPWA-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology for deploying smart metering services is rapidly growing for its ability to manage energy usage in real-time and increase efficiency. However, the problem faced by electric utility companies is how to choose the most appropriate technology. This study uses a techno-economic approach to compare the two most widely used technological alternatives, namely establishing LoRaWAN as a non-licensed LPWA technology or leasing NB-IoT as a licensed LPWA technology owned by a telecommunications operator. Case studies conducted in the urban area of Bandung and sub-urban city of Tasikmalaya as an example of a typical town in Indonesia. The results showed that LoRaWAN and NB-IoT are both technically and business feasible to be implemented with their respective advantages. LoRaWAN is superior in battery lifetime, business model, speed of implementation, and total costs, whereas NB-IoT is superior in range, capacity, quality of service, security, and ecosystem support. Using PLN's perspective as a national electricity company in Indonesia, LoRaWAN has a Net Present Value of 23% higher than NB-IoT in the 10th year