Development of a Long-Range IoT Air Quality Monitoring System Using LoRa Mesh Repeaters for Real-Time Pollution Tracking

Abstract

Numerous researchers are currently presenting innovative methods to measure air quality in a cost-effective and real-time manner. The primary significance of the air quality monitoring system lies in its ability to facilitate communication via the Internet. This capability enables monitoring stations to measure air quality over extensive regions, spanning several kilometers. Presently, existing technology has constraints on transmitting data beyond distances of a few kilometers. This study introduces an air quality monitoring station capable of measuring NO2, SO2, CO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10. To extend the transmission range, a LoRa mesh repeater was designed, utilizing point-to-point LoRa technology for extended data transmission. The signal strength between the air quality monitoring station and the repeater varies from-84 dBm to-92 dBm. The observed RSSI signal between the LoRa repeater and the LoRa gateway in the experimental results varies from-69 dBm to-112 dBm. The practical, effective operating distance is 1.7 km, making it suitable for potential utilization in long-distance IoT applications.