Performance Measurements of LoRaWAN Connectivity for Links Through Metallic Shields: Preliminary and Feasibility Tests

In this paper, the authors analyze the performances of the Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) technology when employed in presence of partial or solid metallic shields. Such specific context can be found in a number of application scenarios: from the internal monitoring of intermodal containers, to industrial applications with specific safety regulations (e.g., in case of the ATEX directive). To analyze the performances of the technology, and ad-hoc testing setup is realized by inserting a general-purpose LoRaWAN transmitter into a specifically realized metallic box made of copper. The box is provided with an open side and a removable lid, which allows to vary the sealing conditions of the box: three different conditions are tested, for different orientations of the box. The transmitting structure is placed in a controlled environment, at a distance of 4.8 m from an off-the-shelf LoRaWAN gateway. The performances of the transmissions are evaluated in terms of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). The results show that, despite the critical application scenario, the gateway is always able to receive the transmitted packets, even if with degrading performances, showing the feasibility of this technology also in all those contexts where the presence of metallic shields would apparently prevent from an efficient data transmission.