LoRa Communication Using TVWS Frequencies: Range and Data Rate

Abstract

Low power wide area network (LPWAN) is a wireless communication technology that offers large coverage, low data rates, and low power consumption, making it a suitable choice for the growing Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communication applications. Long range (LoRa), an LPWAN technology, has recently been used in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band for various low-power wireless applications. The coverage and data rate supported by these devices in the ISM band is well-studied in the literature. In this paper, we study the usage of TV white spaces (TVWS) for LoRa transmissions to address the growing spectrum demand. Additionally, the range and data rate of TVWS-based LoRa, for different transmission parameter values using different path-loss models and for various scenarios such as free space, outdoor and indoor are investigated. A path-loss model for TVWS-based LoRa is also proposed and explored, and the evaluations show that TVWS offers a longer range. This range and data rate study would be useful for efficient network planning and system design for TVWS-based LoRa LPWANs.