Abstract
Sigfox has become one of the main Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, as it has attracted the attention of the industry, academy and standards development organizations in recent years. Sigfox devices, such as sensors or actuators, are expected to run on limited energy sources; therefore, it is crucial to investigate the energy consumption of Sigfox. However, the literature has only focused on this topic to a very limited extent. This paper presents an analytical model that characterizes device current consumption, device lifetime and energy cost of data delivery with Sigfox. In order to capture a realistic behavior, the model has been derived from measurements carried out on a real Sigfox hardware module. The model allows quantifying the impact of relevant Sigfox parameters and mechanisms, as well as frame losses, on Sigfox device energy performance. Among others, evaluation results show that the considered Sigfox device, powered by a 2400 mAh battery, can achieve a theoretical lifetime of 1.5 or 2.5 years while sending one message every 10 min at 100 bit/s or 600 bit/s, respectively, and an asymptotic lifetime of 14.6 years as the message transmission rate decreases.
Highlights
Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) have recently emerged as a category of wireless technologies suitable for enabling Internet of Things (IoT) applications in a diversity of domains [1].LPWAN technologies have been designed to support low energy consumption, since IoT devices often rely on a limited energy source, such as a battery
Based on our literature review, we conclude that our paper is the first one that provides a detailed and comprehensive analytical model of Sigfox device current consumption, device lifetime and energy cost of data delivery, considering real Sigfox device hardware behavior, the different communication settings and mechanisms, and the impact of frame losses
This paper has presented analytical models that allow to evaluate the current consumption and the lifetime of a battery-enabled Sigfox device, as well as the energy cost of data delivery
Summary
Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) have recently emerged as a category of wireless technologies suitable for enabling Internet of Things (IoT) applications in a diversity of domains [1]. LPWAN technologies have been designed to support low energy consumption, since IoT devices (e.g., sensors and actuators) often rely on a limited energy source, such as a battery. The IETF LPWAN working group is developing functionality to support IPv6 over Sigfox, enabling Internet connectivity for Sigfox devices [4,5]. This paper analytically models device current consumption, device lifetime and energy efficiency of data delivery with Sigfox. The model presented allows to determine the influence of crucial Sigfox parameters and mechanisms, such as the uplink physical layer data rate, payload size, unidirectional or bidirectional communication, and message losses, on Sigfox energy performance.
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