Abstract:
Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) technology offers efficient connectivity for
numerous end devices over a wide coverage area in the Internet of Things (IoT) network, enabling
the exchange of data over the Internet between even the most minor Internet-connected devices and
systems. One of LoRaWAN’s hallmark features is the Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) algorithm. ADR is a
resource allocation function which dynamically adjusts the network’s data rate, airtime, and energy
dissipation to optimise its performance. The allocation of spreading factors plays a critical function
in defining the throughput of the end device and its robustness to interference. However, in practical
deployments, LoRaWAN networks experience considerable interference, severely affecting the packet
delivery ratio, energy utilisation, and general network performance. To address this, we present
a novel ADR framework, SSFIR-ADR, which utilises randomised spreading factor allocation to
minimise energy consumption and packet collisions while maintaining optimal network performance.
We implement a LoRa network composed of a single gateway that connects loads of end nodes to
a network server. In terms of energy use, packet delivery rate, and interference rate (IR), our simulation implementation does better than LoRaWAN’s legacy ADR scheme for a range of application
data intervals.
