High-Availability in IoT Applications through Dual Connectivity: Integrating LoRaWAN and NB-IoT

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are commonly connected using Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, such as NB-IoT or LoRaWAN. Due to their long range and low power consumption, it is possible to connect a large number of sensors in locations without a wired infrastructure. As a consequence, LPWAN technologies are increasingly used to also support critical infrastructure applications, such as flood monitoring. However, failures in transmitting sensor data in such applications could potentially endanger human life. We have analyzed an existing loT system w.r.t. its single points of failure and identified the wireless connection technology as the most critical one. This paper aims to improve the resilience of loT systems presenting design principles with focus on the reliability of wireless transmission. This goal is pursued through the strategy of employing a dual connectivity approach, coupled with multi-path routing, leveraging two distinct LPWAN technologies: LoRaWAN and NB-IoT. Additionally, we have created a hardware prototype of a sensing device to gain experience with the dual radio approach and document the key design issues, as well as our multi-path routing approach and the overall system architecture. This work aims to establish the foundation for future improvements in the reliability of loT communications.