WaterGrid-Sense: A LoRa-Based Sensor Node for Industrial IoT Applications

A Wireless sensor-network is used in the industry to monitor critical parameters. However, its industrial usage in harsh environments presents some challenges to the wireless communication signals such as noise, interference, etc. which contribute to poor quality of service. This paper presents analysis of WaterGrid-Sense, as a full-stack node based on LoRa deployed on a smart water management system. It has a smart interface platform and the ability to monitor and control in real-time. To determine its effectiveness for industrial usage, we conducted experiments to evaluate its power consumption rate and the reliability of the communication link while deployed in a harsh environment. The results obtained show that the sensor node can operate effectively with a battery for a long period of time until a cut-off voltage of 3.2 V. Moreover, despite the harsh environment, the received signals were sufficiently reliable. Thus, a WaterGrid-Sense could be deployed for industrial usage with great reliability and less maintenance costs.