Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) have been gaining momentum as important pillars of the Internet of Things’ age. These networks are designed to provide coverage for long distances to end nodes, exploiting the license free frequency bands present in the telecommunication space. An extensive study using simulated models, and field trials within the university premises, were conducted to study the performance of a LoRa-based IoT network in various types of deployment scenarios. The work carried out covers all the factors of influence for a stationary LoRaWAN network with a single gateway.
The preliminary results showcase the features and capabilities of an end device present in such a network. In the advanced simulations the effect of select radio propagation loss models on the network performance was understood. Various attributes unique to LoRa have also been investigated in further simulations. The practical experimentation provides insights into the performance of the LoRa-based wireless communication system under line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight conditions (NLOS), shedding light on the impact of environmental variables on the signal quality and range capabilities.
This study offers a thorough examination of the diverse deployment scenarios and their influence on the performance metrics of a LoRaWAN network. The insights gained from the results assist in the effective and efficient utilization of resources, enabling optimal network performance and output.