This repo is under-construction.
Brief:
As part of a larger study to document system design optimisation of LoRaWAN networks for AMI water-metering (Smart water meters).
This part will address the issue of installing LoRaWAN End-devices into sub-surface meter pits / boundary boxes / meter vaults and the RF attenuating effects thereof.
Notes;
- Boundary box phyical dimensions, materials, lids and man-hole covers.
- Meter antenna type, placement, ground-plane, performance, de-tuning. s-paramaters, radiation pattern
- Basic attenuation calculations
- RF coverage planning - recommended configuration and input data, survey test standard measurements, validation of coverage analysis.
- Environmental variables - weather and FOD, seasonal, sand and mud inundation. grouted lids
- End-device SF/ADR restrictions to preserve battery life, at the expence of link budget - thus forcing the requirement for lower gateway int-ersite distance, (more gateways per given geography).
- Methods of improving link budget for this use-case, including plactic box/chamber/pit lids, through-the-lid antennas, rotaing meter position etc.
- Effects of frost covers, meter risers etc.
- CW testing
- Test setup calibration, test antennas and E2E LoRaWAN network
- Radiated field test
- https://lora-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TR007_Developing_LoRaWAN_Devices-v1.0.0.pdf
- https://www.slcmeterllc.com/slc2017/assets/pdf/cewhite.pdf
- Anecdotally, It appears that LoRaWAN water metering end-devices installed in sub-surface meter pits, vaults, boundary boxes at or below 500mm from the street surface level, with metal lids which are restricted to operating in EU868 regional parameters with a maximum spreading factor of SF9, with an installation margin of 10dB, will be limited to operating not greater than 250m range from a gateway site, with an omni-directional antenna mounted at 10m above ground level and a gain of 6dbi. (End-device suffers about 10dB being in the pit, and 20dB from the metal lid)
- Max coupling loss and link budget calculations for various SF, gateway configs, etc
- Why energy-harvesting, multi mode (NB-IOT/sigfox/lora/mesh) at 450MHz with steet lamp post small cells will be a better fit for SWM
- IOT hype cycle and technological expectations
- https://lora-developers.semtech.com/documentation/tech-papers-and-guides/predicting-lorawan-capacity
- https://lora-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Radiated-RF-Performance-FAQ.pdf
- https://lora-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/rf_performance_test_report_20181206_trptis_1m2m_extended.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7CxF65cxY
- https://resources.lora-alliance.org/home/getting-started-with-the-lorawan-certification-test-tool-lctt-2
- wave guide cut off effect of pit dimentions and meter mounting depth