Offshore LoRaWAN Networking: Transmission Performances Analysis Under Different Environmental Conditions

This article presents the architecture and the performances of a long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) infrastructure used for data transmission from a floating sensor node placed in the middle of the sea to a multigateway structure positioned on the coast, whose purpose is the monitoring of offshore breeding cages within a fish farming plant. In particular, the sensor node is installed on a seamark buoy and it is interfaced with ad hoc sensors for the measurement of marine parameters. All sampled data are conveyed ashore to the Gateways by successfully covering the distance of 8.33 km. The article presents the results concerning the performances of the data transmission for a 70-day operating period, analyzing the radio parameters Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) in relation to the variations of environmental parameters, such as temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure, as well as weather conditions. The proposed system demonstrates the usability of the LoRaWAN in all those cases where data collection from offshore monitoring structures is required; while this infrastructure focuses on the monitoring of fish farming plants, it may find application in several contexts, from navigational buoys to offshore oil plants.