Feasibility Analysis of a LoRa-Based WSN Using Public Transport

LoRa (Long Range) is a proprietary radio communication technology exploiting license-free frequency bands, allowing low-rate information exchange over long distances with very low power consumption. Conventional environmental monitoring sensors have the disadvantage of being in fixed positions and distributed over wide areas, thus providing measurements with a spatially insufficient level of detail. Since public transport vehicles travel continuously within cities, they are ideal to house portable monitoring systems for environmental pollution and meteorological parameters. The paper presents a feasibility analysis of aWireless Sensor Network (WSN) to collect this information from the vehicles conveying it to a central node for processing. The communication system is realized by deploying a layer-structured, fault-resistant, multi-hop Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) based on the LoRa technology. Both a theoretical study about electromagnetic propagation and network architecture are addressed with consideration of potential practical network realization

Long range channel characteristics through foliage

Long Range Low Power Wide Area Network (LoRa LPWAN) technology is unique and remarkable technology because of its long-range coverage, low power consumption and low cost system architecture. These features have allowed Lora LPWAN to become a favorable option for performing communication in most of IoT wireless applications. In this paper, the foliage effect has been studied in terms of attenuation and its overall contribution to the path-loss and link budget calculations. Specifically, 5 tree types were studied and their contribution to the path loss were quantified for different path crossings (e.g., trunk, tree-top and branches). The trees are Licuala Grandis, Mimusops Elengi, Mangifera Indica, Cyrtostachys Renda and Livistona Chinensis. Mimusops Elengi tree gave the strongest mean foliage attenuation accumulating up to 20 dB, due to its big size and crown density. Trunks contribute even higher attenuation in comparison to tree-tops and branches. The Okumura/Hata, Log-normal shadowing and foliage models are used as references for this propagation models development in this paper. Our study showed that Okumura fails to capture the effect of foliage in an environment rich in trees and biodiversity. This demonstrates the need for considering the tropical environment where the characterization of foliage attenuation plays an important role in determining the propagation model path-loss and link budget needed for network design and planning

Supporting Transportation System Management and Operations Using Internet of Things Technology

Low power wide-area network (LPWAN) technology aims to provide long range and low power wireless communication. It can serve as an alternative technology for data transmissions in many application scenarios (e.g., parking monitoring and remote flood sensing). In order to explore its feasibility in transportation systems, this project conducted a review of relevant literature to understand the current status of LPWAN applications. An online survey that targeted professionals concerned with transportation was also developed to elicit input about their experiences in using LPWAN technology for their projects. The literature review and survey results showed that LPWAN’s application in the U.S. is still in an early stage. Many agencies were not familiar with LPWAN technology, and only a few off-the-shelf LPWAN products are currently available that may be directly used for transportation systems. To conceptually explore data transmission, a set of lab tests, using a primary LPWAN technology, namely LoRa, were performed on a university campus area as well as in a rural area. The lab tests showed that several key factors, such as the mounting heights of devices, distance between the gateway and sensor nodes, and brands of devices affected the LPWAN’s performance. Building upon these efforts, the research team proposed a high-level field test plan for facilitating a potential Phase 2 study that will address primary technical issues concerning the feasibility of transmitting data of different sizes, data transmission frequency, and transmission rate, deployment requirements, etc

LoRaWAN for Smart Street Lighting Solution in Pangandaran Regency

Smart street lighting is a key application in smart cities, enabling the monitoring and control of street lamps through internet connectivity. LoRa/LoRaWAN, an IoT technology, offers advantages such as low power consumption, cost-effectiveness, and a wide area network. With its extensive coverage of up to 15 kilometers and easy deployment, LoRa has become a favored connectivity option for IoT use cases. This study explores the utilization of LoRaWAN in Pangandaran, a regency in the West Java province of Indonesia. Implementing LoRaWAN in this context has resulted in several benefits, including the ability to monitor and control street lighting in specific areas of Pangandaran and real-time recording of energy consumption. The primary objective of this research is to estimate the number of LoRaWAN gateways required to support smart street lighting in Pangandaran. Two methods are employed: coverage calculation using the free space loss approach and capacity calculation. The coverage calculation suggests a requirement of 34 gateways, whereas the capacity calculation indicates that only two gateways are needed. Based on these findings, it can be inferred that, theoretically, a maximum of 34 gateways would be necessary for smart street lighting in the Pangandaran area. However, further research, including driving tests, is recommended to validate these results for future implementation. This study provides insights into the practical application of LoRaWAN technology in smart street lighting, specifically in Pangandaran. The findings contribute to optimizing infrastructure and resource allocation, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of urban lighting systems.

Evaluation of a LoRa mesh network for smart metering in rural locations

Accompanying the advancement on the Internet of Things (IoT), the concept of remote monitoring and control using IoT devices is becoming popular. Digital smart meters hold many advantages over traditional analog meters, and smart metering is one of application of IoT technology. It supports the conventional power system in adopting modern concepts like smart grids, block-chains, automation, etc. due to their remote load monitoring and control capabilities. However, in many applications, the traditional analog meters still are preferred over digital smart meters due to the high deployment and operating costs, and the unreliability of the smart meters. The primary reasons behind these issues are a lack of a reliable and affordable communication system, which can be addressed by the deployment of a dedicated network formed with a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) platform like wireless radio standards (i.e., LoRa devices). This paper discusses LoRa technology and its implementation to solve the problems associated with smart metering, especially considering the rural energy system. A simulation-based study has been done to analyse the LoRa technology’s applicability in different architecture for smart metering purposes and to identify a cost-effective and reliable way to implement smart metering, especially in a rural microgrid (MG)

Análise da implantação de uma rede LoRaWAN para sistemas embarcados

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Campus Joinville. Engenharia Mecatrônica.Este trabalho aborda o estudo e a implantação de uma rede LoRaWAN, além de testes realizados para verificar a funcionalidade dela. Com o avanço da tecnologia, a presença de dispositivos inteligentes conectados junto da coleta de dados trazem qualidade de vida, produtividade e podem ajudar a prever condições de ambiente, e a cada dia que passa a Internet das Coisas (IoT) evolui junto, trazendo novas tecnologias além de um novo mundo conectado. Uma dessas tecnologias é LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) capaz de conectar dispositivos a distâncias na ordem de quilômetros com um baixo consumo energético. Dentro das LPWAN, a tecnologia de rádio LoRa (Long Range) casada com o protocolo com modelo de negócio aberto desenvolvido para ela, a LoRaWAN, é uma das opções de LPWAN que mais chamam a atenção devido ao baixo custo, baixo consumo energético e longo alcance. Este trabalho propôs a implantação de uma rede LoRaWAN por completo, trazendo toda a arquitetura de rede e sua configuração com objetivo de estudo de seu funcionamento e análise de sua viabilidade. A configuração feita de forma simplista, mostrou que após a compreensão do funcionamento da rede, sua instalação e configuração não são tão complexas, além de trazer bons resultados de conectividade dentro de um condomínio industrial, chegando a distâncias de mais de 700 metros de cobertura de sinal.This work addresses the study and deployment of a LoRaWAN network, as well as tests performed to verify its functionality. Along the advancement of technology, the presence of smart devices attach and the use of data collection offers quality of life, and can help predict a view environmental conditions, and with each passing day the Internet of Things (IoT) evolved with new technologies beyond a new connected world. One of this technology is LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) able to connecting devices at miles-ordering distances with low power consumption. Within LPWAN, the LoRa (Long Range) radio technology, coupled with the open business model protocol developed for it, the LoRaWAN, is one of the LPWAN options that draws more attention, with low cost, low power consumption and long range. This paper proposes the implementation of a complete LoRaWAN network, bringing all the network architecture and its configuration in order to study its operation and analyze its viability. A simplistic configuration has shown that after the network has been put into operation, its installation and configuration is not so complex, bringing good connectivity results within a business park, reaching a distance of over 700 meters of signal coverage

Scalability analysis of large-scale LoRaWAN networks in ns-3

As LoRaWAN networks are actively being deployed in the field, it is important to comprehend the limitations of this Low Power Wide Area Network technology. Previous work has raised questions in terms of the scalability and capacity of LoRaWAN networks as the number of end devices grows to hundreds or thousands per gateway. Some works have modeled LoRaWAN networks as pure ALOHA networks, which fails to capture important characteristics such as the capture effect and the effects of interference. Other works provide a more comprehensive model by relying on empirical and stochastic techniques. This work uses a different approach where a LoRa error model is constructed from extensive complex baseband bit error rate simulations and used as an interference model. The error model is combined with the LoRaWAN MAC protocol in an ns-3 module that enables to study multi channel, multi spreading factor, multi gateway, bi-directional LoRaWAN networks with thousands of end devices. Using the lorawan ns-3 module, a scalability analysis of LoRaWAN shows the detrimental impact of downstream traffic on the delivery ratio of confirmed upstream traffic. The analysis shows that increasing gateway density can ameliorate but not eliminate this effect, as stringent duty cycle requirements for gateways continue to limit downstream opportunities.Comment: 12 pages, submitted to the IEEE Internet of Things Journa

Edge of the network device for a low power wide area network

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica Industrial e ComputadoresThe widespread of Internet connection, particularly on small devices (embedded systems), has allowed the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, due to the connection of these devices to web micro services (Cloud), and has had a major role in Industry 4.0 [1]. Through the advances of wireless technologies, these devices were able to have an Internet connection, becoming available everywhere. The creation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has enabled the use of networks composed of independent devices (nodes or edge devices), equipped with sensors and actuators, and made it possible to collect information about the environment where they are deployed [2]. The growing necessity of having a wider coverage area for Wireless Sensor Networks, along with the demanding low power requirements on devices has enabled Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technologies to arise. These technologies are able to reach further coverage than conventional wireless technologies (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee etc), as well as raising the energy autonomy of the devices [3], which makes LPWA technologies ideal for wider areas. The recent tragedies of wildfires in Portugal, in both 2017 and 2018, had great impact on economic and social levels. Early detection and alerts about wildfires are crucial to prevent them from spreading [4]. Therefore, by using LPWA technologies in forests, a case study can be made for the wildfire occurrences in forests. Through the use of independent devices equipped with sensors, data can be collected from the environment that might detect that a fire is starting, and then send alerts to fire fighting units. In this Master’s thesis it was developed the architecture of sensor nodes, to be integrated in a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). By using the LoRa technology to achieve a long range between the sensor nodes and the network coordinator, it is possible for edge devices to collect and send data to upper levels of the network. It was possible to gather information about the environment and further understand LoRa’s potential for sending all the data to the upper levels of the network.A proliferação da conexão à Internet, especialmente em pequenos dispositivos (sistemas embebidos), permitiu o desenvolvimento do conceito Internet of Things (IoT), devido à possibilidade de ligação destes a micro serviços web (Cloud), tendo um papel crucial no desenrolar da Indústria 4.0 [1]. Tendo como principal impulsionador o avanço tecnológico das redes sem fios, foi possível ligar estes dispositivos à Internet, tornando-os acessíveis em qualquer lado. Assim, surgiram as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), através da utilização de redes de dispositivos independentes (nós ou edge devices), equipados com sensores e atuadores, possibilitando a recolha de informação sobre o meio onde estão colocados [2]. A crescente necessidade de cobrir áreas cada vez maiores para este tipo de redes, associada a requisitos mais exigentes de consumo energético reduzido nos dispositivos, abriu caminho para o aparecimento das tecnologias Low Power Wide Area (LPWA). Este tipo de tecnologias consegue alcances superiores em relação às redes sem fios convencionais (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, entre outros), permitindo maior autonomia dos nós sensores [3], tornando-se assim ideais para a sua utilização em áreas alargadas. As recentes tragédias de incêndios que ocorreram em Portugal, em particular nos anos de 2017 e 2018, tiveram grande impacto tanto a nível económico como social. A deteção e alerta precoce de incêndios são fatores cruciais para evitar a sua propagação [4]. Utilizando as tecnologias LPWA em contexto florestal poderá criar-se um caso de estudo para a ocorrência de incêndios em florestas. Através da utilização de edge devices, poderá ser possível recolher dados provenientes deste meio que indiquem a existência de um incêndio a deflagrar, e enviar alertas para as unidades de combate a incêndios. Nesta dissertação foi desenvolvida a arquitetura dos nós sensores, a serem integrados numa Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). Utilizando tecnologia LoRa para obter um longo alcance entre os nós e o coordenador da rede, poderá desta forma ser possível os nós sensores recolherem e enviarem dados para as camadas superiores. Foi possível, com a utilização de sensores nos nós, recolher informações sobre o ambiente e perceber o potencial da tecnologia LoRa para o envio destes dados para as camadas superiores

Perancangan Aplikasi Web untuk Pemantauan dan Pengendalian Sistem Panel Surya Berbasis Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN)

Light or sunlight can be converted into electricity using solar panel technology. The measurement process is needed on current and voltage parameters to determine whether a solar panel is working correctly or not. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a suitable method for monitoring efficiency measurements on solar panel performance in real-time by combining several computational components, protocols, and sensors to interact more quickly and help all activities become more efficient. One IoT technology that can work efficiently is the Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN). LoRa communicates using radio frequencies with a wide coverage range and has a low power consumption level. In this study, the implementation of LoRaWAN technology as a communication protocol between three series of nodes and one gateway in building a solar panel system is then visualized on a web that can monitor currents and voltages in the form of graphs and numbers. Displays notifications when there is a change in the condition of the large voltage from the solar panel can control the state of turning on or off the lights and turning off the whole node, and displaying a history of current and voltage readings. The functionality of the system will later be tested using black-box testing. There was also a distribution of questionnaires to 35 respondents to measure the level of agreement that the system designed was running well.