An End-to-End LoRaWAN-based IoT Platform with Built-in Network Coverage Testing Capability

LoRaWAN-enabled networks represent a paradigm shift from short-range transmissions to long-range connections for various intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) applications. To ensure maximum coverage of LoRaWAN gateways, exhaustive experiments have to be performed beforehand for gateway deployment. Although simulation based solutions are viable, the obtained results may not reflect on-field propagation and terrain conditions. On the other hand, commercial LoRaWAN network field testers are extremely limited in terms of analysis and statistics capabilities. In this paper, we present an end-to-end IoT platform which encompasses an built-in network coverage testing facility. The term built-in is used to reveal coverage testing is an in-built functionality. That is, it is not necessary to use an external solution to test the coverage of the LoRaWan network, but the platform provides it by design. The platform is developed based on open-source software and commercial low-cost, low-power hardware, and it can be applied to various vertical sectors including smart agriculture, maritime applications, environment monitoring, and device tracking.