Aerial Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Assisted LPWANs for IoT: A Cross-Layer Analysis

The utilization of low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies holds significant promise for numerous critical Internet of Things (IoT) applications that are characterized by low data rates and stringent power consumption requirements. However, LPWAN technologies face limitations, particularly in extending coverage in obstructed environments. Driven by the various abilities of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) and the advanced features of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the integration of RIS into UAVs, which results in aerial RIS (ARIS), presents an attractive solution for enhancing LPWAN-based IoT connectivity. This letter introduces a novel solution to enhance the efficacy of LPWAN-based IoT by incorporating ARIS. A full cross-layer analysis is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the solution. Furthermore, the impact of the UAV’s location and the number of reflective elements of the ARIS are examined in practical scenarios. The results illustrate that utilizing an ARIS significantly enhances the performance of the LPWAN-based system and results in a reliable long-range transmission operation.