WanderWatch: LoRaWAN-Based Monitoring System for Wandering Risk Patients

Caregivers and families of wandering risk patients (e.g., Alzheimer’s and dementia) face the critical issue of tracking those individuals’ movements to ensure their safety. Several monitoring tools are available today, including GPS trackers, RFID systems, Bluetooth-based trackers, smartwatches, home security systems with cameras and sensors, and community alert programs. However, these systems often rely on cellular networks, which can be unreliable or nonexistent in remote locations, making them unsuitable for tracking over large distances or outdoor areas. One way to address this challenge is to use Longrange Wide Area Networks (LoRaWAN) networks that do not require internet connectivity while operating independently. This paper presents WanderWatch, a LoRaWAN-based monitoring system for wandering risk patients. WanderWatch is a robust monitoring and geofencing solution that leverages advanced LoRaWAN technology, which provides reliable and long-distance communication even in areas with poor cellular coverage, ensuring continuous monitoring of patients. It combines wearable IoT devices with an advanced geofencing system to track patients in real-time and alert caregivers if they wander outside designated safe zones. Our system utilized LoRa hardware supported by an optimized Echo protocol in a zero-control mesh network to efficiently detect boundary breaches of the monitored subjects, such as patients with Alzheimer’s disease, robots mounted with IoT devices and sensors, etc. WanderWatch is evaluated with a real-world testbed using various performance metrics.