Measurements of LoRaWAN Technology in Urban Scenarios: A Data Descriptor

A Critical Review of the Propagation Models Employed in LoRa Systems

LoRa systems are emerging as a promising technology for wireless sensor networks due to their exceptional range and low power consumption. The successful deployment of LoRa networks relies on accurate propagation models to facilitate effective network planning. Therefore, this review explores the landscape of propagation models supporting LoRa networks. Specifically, we examine empirical propagation models commonly employed in communication systems, assessing their applicability across various environments such as outdoor, indoor, and within vegetation. Our investigation underscores the prevalence of logarithmic decay in most empirical models. In addition, we survey the relationship between model parameters and environmental factors, clearing their nuanced interplay. Analyzing published measurement results, we extract the log-distance model parameters to decipher environmental influences comprehensively. Drawing insights from published measurement results for LoRa, we compare them with the model's outcomes, highlighting successes and limitations. We additionally explore the application of multi-slope models to LoRa measurements to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing the accuracy of path loss prediction. Finally, we propose new lines for future research in propagation modelling to improve empirical models.

LoRaWAN Meets ML: A Survey on Enhancing Performance with Machine Learning

The Internet of Things is rapidly growing with the demand for low-power, long-range wireless communication technologies. Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is one such technology that has gained significant attention in recent years due to its ability to provide long-range communication with low power consumption. One of the main issues in LoRaWAN is the efficient utilization of radio resources (e.g., spreading factor and transmission power) by the end devices. To solve the resource allocation issue, machine learning (ML) methods have been used to improve the LoRaWAN network performance. The primary aim of this survey paper is to study and examine the issue of resource management in LoRaWAN that has been resolved through state-of-the-art ML methods. Further, this survey presents the publicly available LoRaWAN frameworks that could be utilized for dataset collection, discusses the required features for efficient resource management with suggested ML methods, and highlights the existing publicly available datasets. The survey also explores and evaluates the Network Simulator-3-based ML frameworks that can be leveraged for efficient resource management. Finally, future recommendations regarding the applicability of the ML applications for resource management in LoRaWAN are illustrated, providing a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners interested in applying ML to improve the performance of the LoRaWAN network.

LoRaWAN Path Loss Measurements in an Urban Scenario including Environmental Effects

LoRaWAN is a widespread protocol by which Internet of things end nodes (ENs) can exchange information over long distances via their gateways. To deploy the ENs, it is mandatory to perform a link budget analysis, which allows for determining adequate radio parameters like path loss (PL). Thus, designers use PL models developed based on theoretical approaches or empirical data. Some previous measurement campaigns have been performed to characterize this phenomenon, primarily based on distance and frequency. However, previous works have shown that weather variations also impact PL, so using the conventional approaches and available datasets without capturing important environmental effects can lead to inaccurate predictions. Therefore, this paper delivers a data descriptor that includes a set of LoRaWAN measurements performed in Medellín, Colombia, including PL, distance, frequency, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, particulate matter, and energy, among other things. This dataset can be used by designers who need to fit highly accurate PL models. As an example of the dataset usage, we provide some model fittings including log-distance, and multiple linear regression models with environmental effects. This analysis shows that including such variables improves path loss predictions with an RMSE of 1.84 dB and an R2 of 0.917.

Measurements of User and Sensor Data from the Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

The evolution of modern cyber-physical systems and the tremendous growth in the number of interconnected Internet of Things (IoT) devices are already paving new ways for the development of improved data collection and processing methods [...]

Insights into the Issue of Deploying a Private LoRaWAN

The last decade has transformed wireless access technologies and crystallized a new direction for the internet of things (IoT). The modern low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies have been introduced to deliver connectivity for billions of devices while keeping the costs and consumption low, and the range of communication high. While the 5G (fifth generation mobile network) LPWAN-like radio technologies, namely NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) and LTE-M (long-term evolution machine type communication) are emerging, the long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) remains extremely popular. One unique feature of this technology, which distinguishes it from the competitors, is the possibility of supporting both public and private network deployments. In this paper we focus on this aspect and deliver original results comparing the performance of the private and public LoRAWAN deployment options; these results should help understand the LoRaWAN technology and give a clear overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the private versus public approaches. Notably, we carry the comparison along the three dimensions: the communication performance, the security, and the cost analysis. The presented results illustratively demonstrate the differences of the two deployment approaches, and thus can support selection of the most efficient deployment option for a target application.