Open Lorawan Sensor Node Architecture for Agriculture Applications

Abstract

In agriculture, it becomes more and more important to have detailed data, e.g. about weather and soil quality, not only in large scale classic crop farming applications but also for urban agriculture. This paper proposes a modular wireless sensor node that can be used in a centralized data acquisition scenario. A centralized approach, in this case multiple sensor nodes and a single gateway or a set of gateways, can be easily installed even without local infrastructure as mains supply. The sensor node integrates a LoRaWAN radio module that allows long-range wireless data transmission and low-power battery operation for several months at reasonable module costs. The developed wireless sensor node is an open system with focus on easy adaption to new sensors and applications. The proposed system is evaluated in terms of transmission range, battery runtime and sensor data accuracy.