Longest Distance Detection for Data Transmission with LoRa in Urban and Extra-Urban Area

The development of IoT technologies has led to a reconsideration of the need for long battery life and low cost in long distance communication of IoT devices. Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), which is network technologies that require low power in long distances, responding to these needs that current network technologies cannot fully provide, come into play at this point. LoRa (Long Range), an important representative of LPWAN technologies due to its ability to operate in unlicensed band, is an important technology to be used as a communication channel that can sustain itself for a long time with low energy without internet access and grid access. The aim of this study is to determine the longest communication distance in LoRa communication and to use the results as a guide in real-time studies. Experiments continued until the point where the signal from the sender to the fixed receiver location was cut off and the point where the last signal was received was determined as the longest communication point. According to our test results, the longest communication distance was found to be 4.3 km extra-urban area and 2.2 km in urban area. As a result of the study, the most suitable communication distances with and without loss were determined and interpreted comparatively. In addition, the received RSSI values and the received signal strength indicator were evaluated separately on the basis of urban and extra-urban area distance.