Modeling LoRa Communications in Estuaries for IoT Environmental Monitoring Systems

Abstract

Low-power wide-area networks are extending beyond the conventional terrestrial domain. Coastal zones, rivers, wetlands, among others, are nowadays common deployment settings for Internet-of-Things nodes where communication technologies such as LoRa are becoming popular. In this article, we investigate large-scale fading dynamics of LoRa line-of-sight links deployed over an estuary with characteristic intertidal zones, considering both shore-to-shore and shore-to-vessel communications. We propose a novel methodology for path loss prediction which captures i) spatial, ii) temporal and iii) physical features of the RF signal interaction with the environmental dynamics, integrating those features into the two-ray propagation model. To this purpose, we resort to precise hydrodynamic modeling of the estuary, including the specific terrain profile (bathymetry) at the reflection point. These aspects are key to accounting for a reflecting surface of varying altitude and permittivity as a function of the tide. Experimental measurements using LoRa devices operating in the 868~MHz band show major trends on the received signal power in agreement with the methodology's predictions.

Monitoramento de Resíduos Poluentes com Tecnologia de Comunicação LPWAN

“…As tecnologias de transmissão presentes na IoT do tipo Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) foram propostas com o foco em economia de bateria dos dispositivos e transmissão dos dados de longo alcance, como por exemplo, LoRaWAN [Bor et al 2016], Sigfox [RFC 8376 2018] e Narrowband IoT NB-IoT [Ratasuk et al 2016], evitando que pessoas tenham que se deslocar ao local monitorado. Na literatura, pode-se encontrar trabalhos similares ao do escopo deste trabalho, por exemplo, o trabalho de [Gaitán et al 2022] visa avaliar o desempenho da tecnologia de comunicac ¸ão LoRaWAN em estuários e zonas costeiras. Avalia-se o alcance da comunicac ¸ão LoRaWAN através de experimentos e os autores apontam que, a entrega de dados é alta, e a perda de uma transmissão é ocasional.…”

A Critical Review of the Propagation Models Employed in LoRa Systems

“…LoRa technology has stood out in the domain of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) due to its long-range capabilities [ 1 ]. This technology enables low-power, low-cost, and reliable data transmission, offering a versatile and responsive framework for diverse applications ranging from agriculture and environmental monitoring to smart cities and industrial automation [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Deploying a sensor network in real-world environments requires accurate estimations of the received signal.…”