An Alternative to SubGHz for LPWAN

Inhalt:
Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) enable energy-efficient communication over long distances, making them interesting for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Some applications require a higher data rate than standard LPWAN while keeping a moderate range for keeping infrastructure requirements low. This paper provides a comparative evaluation of two LPWAN technologies, LoRa operating at 2.4 GHz and DECT NR+ for these kind of applications. We conducted modeling and experimental evaluations to assess their performance in terms of range and data rate across indoor, indoor-outdoor, and outdoor scenarios. For modeling we applied the log-distance path loss model, accounting for environmental conditions. Results show that LoRa achieves significantly greater range, with up to 259 meters in indoor-outdoor scenarios, compared to DECT NR+ with a maximum of 16 meters. Outdoor evaluations revealed LoRa’s capability to maintain connectivity at distances exceeding 1 kilometer in non-line-of-sight conditions. However, DECT NR+ offers higher data rates, reaching up to 3744 kBit/s, making it advantageous for applications demanding robust data rates in limited-range scenarios. The findings highlight the trade-offs between range and data rate.