Enhancing LoRa Communication with Stepped Frequency Continuous Waveform (SFCW) Modulation

The Internet of Things (IoT) has sparked substantial growth in low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies, enabling energy-efficient, long-range communication for devices in sectors ranging from agriculture and smart cities to industrial automation. In this paper, we investigate the performance of Stepped Frequency Continuous Waveform (SFCW) modulation as an enhancement of Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) in LoRa-based communications. SFCW modulation is based on a stepped frequency approach, where the frequency is increased in discrete steps rather than continuously. Compared to CSS in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER), Detection Accuracy, and Energy Efficiency, a comprehensive performance analysis is carried out comparing these two modulation schemes in diverse Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) situations with respect to BER, energy efficiency, and detection accuracy. Our simulation results show that compared to CSS, the proposed modulation scheme achieves a significantly higher detection accuracy and higher spectral efficiency than CSS, especially at moderate levels of SNR between <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{0 ~ d B}$</tex> and <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{1 0}$</tex> dB, indicating its usefulness in environments where the signal quality is varying. Moreover, compared with CSS, our results show a significant improvement in BER and energy efficiency. These findings provide a solid foundation for future exploration of SFCW modulation in IoT applications, offering a pathway to more reliable and energy efficient communication systems.