A Study of LoRaWAN Network Performance for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Applications

The smart meter is a massive device for measuring and recording energy usage in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that provides bi-directional communication to deliver the real-time data between households and utilities. The LoRaWAN is a proven communication network technology for smart meter to supporting AMI system due to several advantages including long range communications, low power consumption, high level of networking security and high capacity. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of LoRa-based architecture for a residential grid in Chonburi Province, located within Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). This analysis, conducted using MATLAB simulations, concentrates solely on coverage and capacity aspects, considering only data reading from meters through push operations within the AMI system. The coverage is determined based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values, while gateway capacity is calculated from Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR). Simulation results demonstrate that LoRaWAN can effectively provide services for AMI at SF-7. The PDR can be achieved at greater than 90% for billing, load profile, and power quality log data readings.