Performance evaluation of lora technology for implementation in rural areas

Abstract

This article presents the results obtained in the evaluation of the LoRa technology as an alternative communication protocol in rural areas, by making measurements in situ in a rural area between the municipalities of Sibaté and Granada in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Using a document search, the TTGO esp32 board was selected as device for testing. Additionally, a temperature sensor and a variable resistance were included to obtain measurements from a transmitter node, whose data was sent to a receiver node using the LoRa protocol with a distance of 500 meters between them and an approximate elevation gradient of 4° difference between the points. Finally, the information collected in the tests was subjected to a descriptive statistical analysis that allowed establishing the most reliable parameters of the protocol and identifying the appropriate spreading factor and bandwidth.