LoPATraN: Low Power Asset Tracking by Means of Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) Technology

The narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) communication standard is gaining momentum within the big picture of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) owing to its capabilities of ensuring pervasive and wide coverage while limiting power consumption. Therefore, it turns out to be a valuable enabling technology within a considerable number of applications. Apart from traditional remote monitoring and data acquisition purposes where comparable Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) facilities have ruled for years, NB-IoT can potentially carve out space within specific alcoves in which low latency, low power, high data-rates and ubiquitous coverage are fundamentals requirements. Long term asset tracking definitely falls within such niches, and in particular NB-IoT can become a valuable alternative to be exploited by both replacing the conventional Global Position System (GPS) system, or supporting it. To this end, this paper proposes an innovative tracking system prototype for asset shipping which relies on two enabling technologies: GPS and NB-IoT. While position transmission is always put into effect via NB-IoT, it can be fetched by resorting to both GPS (like a standard tracker) or NB-IoT (thus establishing a GPS-less method). As a result, two localization techniques are arranged: the former one is preciser but energy hungrier, while the latter one is coarser but more low power. Such working principles were successfully tested on the field by means of two road tests in as much itineraries. Tests results are in agreement with the expectations underlying the two working principles since the finer one provides a more accurate tracking. In addition, a consumption analysis was also performed aiming at assessing the prototype lifetime. Finally, tests pursuing the assessment of the tracking error were carried out underling the fact that it strongly depends on the geographic deployment of NB-IoT towers.

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Low Power Wide Area Network, Cognitive Radio and the Internet of Things: Potentials for Integration

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20236837 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (23) ◽

pp. 6837

Author(s):

Adeiza J. Onumanyi ◽

Adnan M. Abu-Mahfouz ◽

Gerhard P. Hancke

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Radio ◽

Internet Of Things ◽

Low Power ◽

Wide Area ◽

The Internet ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Data Rates ◽

Phy Layer ◽

The Internet Of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging paradigm that enables many beneficial and prospective application areas, such as smart metering, smart homes, smart industries, and smart city architectures, to name but a few. These application areas typically comprise end nodes and gateways that are often interconnected by low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies, which provide low power consumption rates to elongate the battery lifetimes of end nodes, low IoT device development/purchasing costs, long transmission range, and increased scalability, albeit at low data rates. However, most LPWAN technologies are often confronted with a number of physical (PHY) layer challenges, including increased interference, spectral inefficiency, and/or low data rates for which cognitive radio (CR), being a predominantly PHY layer solution, suffices as a potential solution. Consequently, in this article, we survey the potentials of integrating CR in LPWAN for IoT-based applications. First, we present and discuss a detailed list of different state-of-the-art LPWAN technologies; we summarize the most recent LPWAN standardization bodies, alliances, and consortia while emphasizing their disposition towards the integration of CR in LPWAN. We then highlight the concept of CR in LPWAN via a PHY-layer front-end model and discuss the benefits of CR-LPWAN for IoT applications. A number of research challenges and future directions are also presented. This article aims to provide a unique and holistic overview of CR in LPWAN with the intention of emphasizing its potential benefits.

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Worldwide Connectivity for the Internet of Things Through LoRaWAN

Future Internet ◽

10.3390/fi11030057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 57 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lorenzo Vangelista ◽

Marco Centenaro

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Low Power ◽

Cellular Network ◽

Wide Area ◽

The Internet ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Frequency Bands ◽

The Moment ◽

The Internet Of Things

The low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) paradigm is gradually gaining market acceptance. In particular, three prominent LPWAN technologies are emerging at the moment: LoRaWAN™ and SigFox™, which operate on unlicensed frequency bands, and NB-IoT, operating on licensed frequency bands. This paper deals with LoRaWAN™, and has the aim of describing a particularly interesting feature provided by the latest LoRaWAN™ specification—often neglected in the literature—i.e., the roaming capability between different operators of LoRaWAN™ networks, across the same country or even different countries. Recalling that LoRaWAN™ devices do not have a subscriber identification module (SIM) like cellular network terminals, at a first glance the implementation of roaming in LoRaWAN™ networks could seem intricate. The contribution of this paper consists in explaining the principles behind the implementation of a global LoRaWAN network, with particular focus on how to cope with the lack of the SIM in the architecture and how to realize roaming.

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The role of low‐power wide‐area network technologies in Internet of Things: A systematic and comprehensive review

International Journal of Communication Systems ◽

10.1002/dac.5036 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Seyed Mehdi Mousavi ◽

Ahmad Khademzadeh ◽

Amir Masoud Rahmani

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Low Power ◽

Wide Area ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Comprehensive Review ◽

Network Technologies

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An Adaptive Spreading Factor Selection Scheme for a Single Channel LoRa Modem

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20041008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 1008 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Seungku Kim ◽

Heonkook Lee ◽

Sungho Jeon

Keyword(s):

Low Power ◽

Long Range ◽

Single Channel ◽

Wide Area ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Maximum Throughput ◽

Spreading Factor ◽

Selection Scheme ◽

Data Rates

When the low power wide area network (LPWAN) was developed for the internet of things (IoT), it attracted significant attention. LoRa, which is one of the LPWAN technologies, provides low-power and long-range wireless communication using a frequency band under 1 GHz. A long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) provides a simple star topology network that is not scalable; it supports multi-data rates by adjusting the spreading factor, code rate, and bandwidth. This paper proposes an adaptive spreading factor selection scheme for corresponding spreading factors (SFs) between a transmitter and receiver. The scheme enables the maximum throughput and minimum network cost, using cheap single channel LoRa modules. It provides iterative SF inspection and an SF selection algorithm that allows each link to communicate at independent data rates. We implemented a multi-hop LoRa network and evaluated the performance of experiments in various network topologies. The adaptive spreading factor selection (ASFS) scheme showed outstanding end-to-end throughput, peaking at three times the performance of standalone modems. We expect the ASFS scheme will be a suitable technology for applications requiring high throughput on a multi-hop network.

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Water Quality Parameter Monitoring System Using Low Power Wide Area Network Technology (LPWAN) and Internet of Things (IOT)

Proceedings of the 18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy” ◽

10.18687/laccei2020.1.1.59 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sebastián Retes Calix ◽

Rigoberto Castro Castro

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Internet Of Things ◽

Low Power ◽

Monitoring System ◽

Quality Parameter ◽

Water Quality Parameter ◽

Area Network ◽

Network Technology ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Parameter Monitoring

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An Internet of Things (IoT) Application on Volcano Monitoring

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s19214651 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (21) ◽

pp. 4651 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Shadia Awadallah ◽

David Moure ◽

Pedro Torres-González

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Low Power ◽

Low Cost ◽

Thermal Anomaly ◽

Raspberry Pi ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Volcanic Surveillance ◽

First Results ◽

Network Operation

In the last few years, there has been a huge interest in the Internet of Things (hereinafter IoT) field. Among the large number of IoT technologies, the low-power wide-area network (hereinafter LPWAN) has emerged providing low power, low data-rate communication over long distances, enabling battery-operated devices to operate for long time periods. This paper introduces an application of long-range (hereinafter LoRa) technology, one of the most popular LPWANs, to volcanic surveillance. The first low-power and low-cost wireless network based on LoRa to monitor the soil temperature in thermal anomaly zones in volcanic areas has been developed. A total of eight thermometers (end devices) have been deployed on a Teide volcano in Tenerife (Canary Islands). In addition, a repeater device was developed to extend the network range when the gateway did not have a line of sight connection with the thermometers. Combining LoRa communication capabilities with microchip microcontrollers (end devices and repeater) and a Raspberry Pi board (gateway), three main milestones have been achieved: (i) extreme low-power consumption, (ii) real-time and proper temperature acquisition, and (iii) a reliable network operation. The first results are shown. These results provide enough quality for a proper volcanic surveillance.

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A Privacy-Preserving Device Tracking System Using a Low-Power Wide-Area Network

Cryptology and Network Security - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-02641-7_16 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 347-369

Author(s):

Tomer Ashur ◽

Jeroen Delvaux ◽

Sanghan Lee ◽

Pieter Maene ◽

Eduard Marin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Power ◽

Tracking System ◽

Privacy Preserving ◽

Wide Area ◽

Area Network ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Device Tracking

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Security Risk Analysis of LoRaWAN and Future Directions

Future Internet ◽

10.3390/fi11010003 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 3 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Ismail Butun ◽

Nuno Pereira ◽

Mikael Gidlund

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Risk Analysis ◽

Low Power ◽

Wide Area ◽

Area Network ◽

Security Risk ◽

Wide Area Network ◽

Security Risks ◽

Future Directions

LoRa (along with its upper layers definition—LoRaWAN) is one of the most promising Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies for implementing Internet of Things (IoT)-based applications. Although being a popular technology, several works in the literature have revealed vulnerabilities and risks regarding the security of LoRaWAN v1.0 (the official 1st specification draft). The LoRa-Alliance has built upon these findings and introduced several improvements in the security and architecture of LoRa. The result of these efforts resulted in LoRaWAN v1.1, released on 11 October 2017. This work aims at reviewing and clarifying the security aspects of LoRaWAN v1.1. By following ETSI guidelines, we provide a comprehensive Security Risk Analysis of the protocol and discuss several remedies to the security risks described. A threat catalog is presented, along with discussions and analysis in view of the scale, impact, and likelihood of each threat. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is one of the first of its kind, by providing a detailed security risk analysis related to the latest version of LoRaWAN. Our analysis highlights important practical threats, such as end-device physical capture, rogue gateway and self-replay, which require particular attention by developers and organizations implementing LoRa networks.

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