Abstract
Recently, Semtech has released a Long Range (LoRa) chipset which operates at the globally available GHz frequency band, on top of the existing sub-GHz, km-range offer, enabling hardware manufacturers to design region-independent chipsets. The SX1280 LoRa module promises an ultra-long communication range while withstanding heavy interference in this widely used band. In this paper, we first provide a mathematical description of the physical layer of LoRa in the GHz band. Secondly, we investigate the maximum communication range of this technology in three different scenarios. Free space, indoor and urban path loss models are used to simulate the propagation of the GHz LoRa modulated signal at different spreading factors and bandwidths. Additionally, we investigate the corresponding data rates. The results show a maximum range of 333 in free space, 107 in an indoor office-like environment and 867 in an outdoor urban context. While a maximum data rate of kbit/s can be achieved, the data rate at the longest possible range in every scenario equals kbit/s. Due to the configurable bandwidth and lower data rates, LoRa outperforms other technologies in the GHz band in terms of communication range. In addition, both communication and localization applications deployed in private LoRa networks can benefit from the increased bandwidth and localization accuracy of this system when compared to public sub-GHz networks.
Highlights
More than a decade ago, Long Range (LoRa) was invented to—as the name indicates—provide a low power wide area network (LPWAN) protocol operating at sub-GHz frequencies
Some significant differences in terms of range arise when comparing LoRa to other technologies operating in the 2.4 GHz band
By calculating the link budget of a chipset operating in this band, the range of a LoRa modulated signal is estimated in a free space and in indoor and outdoor scenarios
Summary
More than a decade ago, Long Range (LoRa) was invented to—as the name indicates—provide a low power wide area network (LPWAN) protocol operating at sub-GHz frequencies. Because of local spectrum regulations, LoRa hardware modules need to be adapted to operate in different frequency bands. In the US, the 915 MHz band is used, while in Europe, most LoRa chipsets operate in the 868 MHz band. We have conducted extensive research on communication and localization with sub-GHz LPWAN. The founding member of the LoRa Alliance, recently released a LoRa chipset operating at 2.4 GHz. The move from sub-GHz to 2.4 GHz was mainly done in order to use the globally available
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