Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) for Communications of Mobile Sensor Data

There are multiple options for communication of data to and from mobile sensors. For tracking systems, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is often used for localization and mobile-phone technologies are used for transmission of data. Low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) is a newer option for sensor networks including mobile sensors. We developed a tracking system use case application using LPWAN as communication channel for mobile sensor data. The choice of LPWAN has pros and cons. In this paper, we discuss the differences between LPWAN and other technologies as communication channel for sensor networks. We describe the LPWAN test setup and analyze its characteristics including transmission frequency, coverage, latency and communication range. CCS CONCEPTS Network performance analysis, Network components, Embedded and cyber-physical systems, Sensor networks