Dense Deployment of LoRa Networks: Expectations and Limits of Channel Activity Detection and Capture Effect for Radio Channel Access.

Congduc Pham,Muhammad Ehsan

doi:10.3390/s21030825

Congduc Pham, Muhammad Ehsan

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s21030825

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Abstract

With worldwide deployment of LoRa/LoRaWAN LPWAN networks in a large variety of applications, it is crucial to improve the robustness of LoRa channel access which is largely ALOHA-like to support environments with higher node density. This article presents extensive experiments on LoRa Channel Activity Detection and Capture Effect property in order to better understand how a competition-based channel access mechanisms can be optimized for LoRa LPWAN radio technology. In the light of these experimentation results, the contribution continues by identifying design guidelines for a channel access mechanism in LoRa and by proposing a channel access method with a lightweight collision avoidance mechanism that can operate without a reliable Clear Channel Assessment procedure. The proposed channel access mechanism has been implemented and preliminary tests show promising capabilities in increasing the Packet Delivery Rate in dense configurations.

Highlights

Expectations and Limits of ChannelLow-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) are an important component in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) maturation process
The source of the correctly received packets can change in a random manner, but we noticed a majority of packets from either an interfering node at 500 ms or an interfering node at 1000 ms
We found that the Channel Activity Detection (CAD) procedure is not reliable enough to provide an efficient Clear

Summary

Introduction

Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) are an important component in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) maturation process. Behind this terminology are a variety of power efficient wireless communications over long distances. Technologies using ultranarrow band modulation (UNB) such as SigFox or Chirp Spread Spectrum modulation (CSS) such as LoRa have become de facto standards in the IoT ecosystem [1] well before 5G standards. With large-scale deployment of such networks worldwide, it becomes critical to ensure scalability of such technologies, especially because most of them are currently deployed in the unlicensed bands. Activity Detection and Capture Effect for Radio Channel Access.

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