LoRa protocol. Evaluations, limitations and practical test

Abstract

For the Internet of Things to become a reality needs a set of technologies to support the communication of and object. For short range communication this is solved, but for large range several candidates are possible. The usage of mobile networks has been as the only solution until two years ago that the so called LPWA solutions appeared. Among the different solutions proposed, in addition to Sigfox, already in use, LoRa appears as a good solution that needs to be studied in more detail.

The aim of this study is to shed light on the new LoRaTM protocol, one of the many technologies that is presented as the definitive solution to cover the increasing needs of the Low Power Wide Area Networks created to extend the Internet of Things everywhere and to everybody. The next document describes the main characteristics of this new technology, explaining the PHY layer LoRaTM as well as the MAC layer LoRaWANTM . Even so, its characteristics and many of its applications are very broad and many of them are still under development and still to come, that’s why it has been impossible to explain all its functions, for example the use of LoRaTM for the geolocation. For this propose, we have divided the document on two main parts, on the first one, we explain LoRaTM protocol main features and some of their limitations due to the Duty Cycle regulation on the ISM band or due to the use of Aloha as Medium Acces Control. On the second part, we focus on the LoRaTM performance on real scenarios to check some of its principal features. Check the differences between Spreading Factors on long distances, compare the performance of the Cyclic Redundancy Checks against the Spreading Factor or evaluate how the free-licensed ISM band can affect the efficiency of the transmissions.

El propósito de este proyecto era estudiar el nuevo protocolo LoRa, una de las nuevas tecnologías creada y presentada como una de las soluciones definitivas para cubrir la existente necesidad de las redes LPWAN. El siguiente documento describe las características claves de esta nueva tecnología, explicando sus dos capas principales: la capa física LoRa y la capa MAC, llamada LoRaWAN. Seguidamente nos hemos centrado en el estudio de su comportamiento en escenarios reales y hemos estudiado algunas de las limitaciones de este protocolo.

El propòsit d'aquest projecte era estudiar el nou protocol LoRa, una de les noves tecnologies creada i presentada com una de les solucions definitives per cobrir l'existent necessitat de les xarxes LPWAN. El següent document descriu les característiques claus d'aquesta nova tecnologia, explicant les seves dues capes principals: la capa física LoRa i la capa MAC, anomenada LoRaWAN. Seguidament ens hem centrat en l'estudi del seu comportament en escenaris reals i hem estudiat algunes limitacions d'aquest protocol.