Assessment of LoRa and IEEE802.15.4 suitability for asset tracking across an urban environment.
Supervised by Dr Jane Wyngaard
Abstract
This report will investigate the effectiveness of IEEE802.15.4 and LoRa localization in an urban environment. This was done by dynamic mapping using Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values obtained by sending packets in a four-node personal area network. The purpose behind this investigation is to see if the Internet of Things (IoT) networks used would be able to produce results that are as accurate as those given by GPS receivers in an urban environment such as a city or town, both indoors and outdoors. Other metrics that will be evaluated will be the cost of the infrastructure and the power consumption compared to the GPS network. The proposed system in this report may easily be implemented in existing networks to allow the location of the nodes in that network as well.
This project was mainly about using Lora and IEEE802.15.4 to locate items as opposed to GPS. While GPS has wide coverage, there are potentially better solutions that may be more accurate and precise. The additional problem with GPS is its bad coverage when indoors. The results clearly showed potentially better alternatives had been developed. While this study could have been better developed, the results will hopefully merit a second look by another student or researcher.
Some useful links: