A Simulative Study of LoRa Communication in Harsh Environments

This thesis presents a comprehensive simulation study focused on analyzing and improving the resilience of Long Range (LoRa) communication systems in harsh environments. The study investigates the performance of a LoRa gateway under various fault cases, using error injection methodologies to simulate real-world challenges in experiments of CHARM facility for wireless system testing. The simulation framework is tailored to the characteristics of LoRa technology, incorporating specific fault models that mimic cases encountered in harsh environments. The analysis covers a variety of fault conditions, from stack-related issues to external observer errors. Each failure is addressed through targeted mitigation strategies. Downtime duration metrics for each fault case are measured through simulations that demonstrate the effectiveness of the applied mitigation techniques. The results reveal improvements in fault tolerance and system reliability, consistent with the overall goal of ensuring uninterrupted LoRa communications in adverse conditions. This study researches and adds valuable information to the field of fault-tolerant designs for LoRa communication systems, which is especially important for applications in harsh environments. The findings serve as a basis for improving and understaing the reliability of IoT and wireless communication systems.