LoRaWAN in Motion: Preliminary Tests for Real Time Low Power Data Gathering from Vehicles

The aim of this paper is to study the usability of the Long Range (LoRa) Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) protocol in the context of vehicular networks, in order to exploit it as enabling technology for the realization of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions within automotive contexts. Despite the critical requirements of this application scenario in terms of bandwidth and latency, LoRaWAN may be exploited for several purposes thanks to its excellent performances in terms of low power consumption and long transmission range. However, the vehicular context features some peculiar constraints that require a specific validation of this technology. One of this requirements concerns the fact that vehicles are actually in motion when transmitting data. Such motion can occur at different speeds that may affect in some way the transmission performances. To this aim, the performances of the LoRaWAN link are evaluated with the transmitter in motion at different speeds, from 20 km/h up to 90 km/h. In particular, received packets percentage, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) are measured, with varying transmission setups in terms of Spreading Factor (SF). The measurement campaign is carried out in an elliptical track, with a LoRaWAN Gateway positioned exactly in its center, in order to limit the variations of the wireless link. Achieved results demonstrate the robustness of LoRaWAN also in case of transmissions taking place in motion, with limited signal degradation in the case of highest speed values.