The Design and Development of LoRa-LoRaWAN Wireless Network Infrastructure with Multi-Hop Capability

Typically, a wireless mesh network supports multi- hop communication, enhancing data delivery reliability and broader area coverage at a low cost. LoRa, a digital and low- speed communication medium, is not designed to perform these capabilities by default. However, in some conditions, a multi- hop LoRa technology is needed, especially for application in areas with many obstacles and remote areas. To address this issue, this paper discusses designing and implementing a multihop LoRa protocol integrated with LoRaWAN. The multi-hop system increases the success rate of data transmission from the farthest node to the gateway up to $\mathbf{9 4. 0 2 \%}$, which cannot be achieved without multi-hop. In the multi-hop setup, repeater nodes relay the LoRa device signals to subsequent LoRa devices until reaching the gateway. The tests demonstrate how messages flow from the transmitter node to the gateway, which is then forwarded to the LoRaWAN network services without requiring hardware modifications. The tests were conducted indoors under conditions with and without obstacles.