Low-Code Microcontroller Programming: A Case Study with LoRa WAN Technology

The growing demand for efficient solutions to integrate and control sensors and actuators in IoT devices highlights the complexity of traditional programming, which often requires advanced knowledge and familiarity with the hardware and communication protocols, making the process dependent on highly skilled labor. This paper explores a low-code approach for programming a microcontroller with data transmission over a LoRaWAN network, a widely used solution in IoT applications due to its long-range communication and low power consumption. Although low-code tools like XOD provide simplified programming methods, they present limitations in projects involving Lo-RaWAN communication. In this study, custom components were developed in XOD, enabling the programming of an ESP8266 microcontroller integrated with LoRaWAN and GPS modules. Through a case study, the coverage of the Everynet network in Rio Grande city was evaluated, demonstrating how the low-code approach can simplify the development, implementation, and rapid prototyping of IoT devices, making the process more accessible and efficient.