On the Use of Containers for LoRaWAN Node Virtualization: Practice and Performance Evaluation

Abstract

This paper investigates the virtualization of LoRaWAN end nodes through Linux containers (LXCs) to improve scalability, flexibility, and resource management. By leveraging lightweight Docker-based virtualization, we break down the core functions of the LoRaWAN node, comprising the application, LoRaWAN, and LoRa layers, into modular containers. In this work, a fully virtualized end node is demonstrated. The obtainable performance is not only compared against the standard approach that leverages a LoRaWAN-compliant module but also against an emulated solution that mimics the desired functionalities purely in software. A controlled, uniform testbed, exploiting the capability of a virtual machine hypervisor to change the way the underlying hardware is abstracted to guest environments, is considered. Key metrics, including resource utilization and latency, are explicitly defined and evaluated. The results underscore the potential of container technologies to transform the deployment and management of communication solutions targeting Internet-of-Things (IoT) scenarios not only for the infrastructure but also for end devices, with implications for future advancements in wireless network virtualization.