Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) Technologies for Bulk IoT: A Critical Review of Reliability and Energy Efficiency

Abstract

Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies have emerged as a promising alternative for connecting most Internet of Things (IoT) devices over long distances with low power consumption. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the reliability and energy efficiency of LPWAN technologies in bulk water massive IoT applications. Reliability is a major challenge in IoT deployments since data transmission must be guaranteed even under harsh deployment conditions. LPWAN technologies such as the NB-IoT, LoRa and Sigfox have demonstrated remarkable reliability, with the ability to travel great distances and penetrate barriers. Energy efficiency is another important consideration when deploying IoT devices at scale. LPWAN technologies excel in this area because they use low-power communication protocols that allow devices to run for long periods of time without the need for regular battery replacements. Because of their reliability and energy efficiency, LPWAN technologies are an appealing option for Bulk water metering IoT deployments. More research and development efforts are required to address issues such as network scalability and security to fully realize the promises of the LPWAN technologies in the IoT ecosystem.