Planning and Research of Long-Range LoRaWAN Radio Coverage for Large Areas with Complex Terrain

When building energy-efficient communication platforms for IoT, it is necessary to plan in advance a number of actions related to radio coverage and to anticipate possible problems to be solved before building the platform. Since all data traffic is transmitted wirelessly, it should provide reliable and quality radio coverage. Designing long-range LoRaWAN communications in outdoor environments with complex terrain is a challenging task that involves determining the correct location and height of the gateway to provide the necessary line-of-sight and minimize communication with reflected signals, as well as the appropriate equipment (e.g., transceiver antennas and radio modules). This article discusses the planning and research of such a type of radio coverage. For evaluation, the following were used: determining the coverage range and measuring the signal parameters, taking into account the receiver sensitivity; control of communication parameters; measurements and analysis in order to detect and eliminate existing disturbances and issues; and assessment of the quality of the service through survey and continuous monitoring in the coverage area.