Survey of Communication Technologies for IoT Deployments in Developing Regions

Authors: Namugenyi Ephrance Eunice, Julianne Sansa Otim, Marco Zennaro, Stephen D. Wolthusen

Abstract:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected data processing devices, mechanical and digital machinery, items, animals, or people that may send data across a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Each component has sensors that can pick up on specific phenomena, as well as processing software and other technologies that can link to and communicate with other systems and/or devices over the Internet or other communication networks and exchange data with them. IoT is increasingly being used in fields other than consumer electronics, such as public safety, emergency response, industrial automation, autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and general environmental monitoring. Consumer-based IoT applications, like smart home gadgets and wearables, are also becoming more prevalent. This paper presents the main IoT deployment areas for environmental monitoring in developing regions and the backhaul options suitable for them based on a couple of related works. The study includes an overview of existing IoT deployments, the underlying communication architectures, protocols, and technologies that support them. This overview shows that Low Power Wireless Area Networks (LPWANs) are very well suited for monitoring environment architectures designed for remote locations. LoRa technology, particularly the LoRaWAN protocol, has an advantage over other technologies due to its low power consumption, adaptability, and suitable communication range. The current challenges of various architectures are discussed in detail, with the major issue identified as obstruction of communication paths by buildings, trees, hills, etc.

Keywords: Communication technologies, environmental monitoring, Internet of Things, IoT, IoT deployment challenges.

References:

[1] Porkodi, R., & Bhuvaneswari, V. (2014). The Internet of things (IoT) applications and communication enabling technology standards: An overview. 2014 International Conference on Intelligent Computing Applications. https://doi.org/10.1109/icica.2014.73
[2] Quy, V. K., Hau, N. V., Anh, D. V., & Ngoc, L. A. (2021). Smart healthcare IoT applications based on fog computing: Architecture, applications, and challenges. Complex & Intelligent Systems, 8(5), 3805-3815. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40747-021-00582-9
[3] IoT deployment models. (2018, October 8). LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iot-deployment-models-bhargava-c-s/ Accessed 14/09/2022.
[4] https://comarkcorp.com/internet-of-things/ Accessed 14/09/2022.
[5] Tim Keary, Research Article: Network Topologies: The advantages and disadvantages of each. https://www.comparitech.com/netadmin/network-topologies-advantages-disadvantages/. Updated: June 27, 2022
[6] Which are the most common Internet of things wireless protocols? (2020, October 14). Emanuele Pagliari. https://emanuelepagliari.it/2020/10/13/internet-of-things-wireless-communication-protocols/
[7] Ho. (2021, September 7). 6 leading types of IoT wireless technologies and their best use cases. BehrTech. https://behrtech.com/blog/6-leading-types-of-iot-wireless-tech-and-their-best-use-cases/
[8] Network Topologies in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Review Divya Sharma, Sandeep Verma, Kanika Sharma 1,2,3Dept. of ECE, NITTTR, Chandigarh, UT, India. IJECT Vol. 4, Issue Spl - 3, April - June 2013
[9] Lee, I., & Kim, M. (2016). Interference-aware self-optimizing Wi-Fi for high efficiency Internet of things in dense networks. Computer Communications, 89-90, 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comcom.2016.03.008
[10] Twahirwa, E., Mtonga, K., Ngabo, D., & Kumaran, S. (2021). A Lora enabled IoT-based air quality monitoring system for smart city. 2021 IEEE World AI IoT Congress (AIIoT). https://doi.org/10.1109/aiiot52608.2021.9454232
[11] Sanchez-Iborra, R., Sanchez-Gomez, J., Ballesta-Viñas, J., Cano, M., & Skarmeta, A. (2018). Performance evaluation of Lora considering scenario conditions. Sensors, 18(3), 772. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18030772
[12] Nordin, R., Mohamad, H., Behjati, M., Kelechi, A. H., Ramli, N., Ishizu, K., Kojima, F., Ismail, M., & Idris, M. (2017). The world-first deployment of narrowband IoT for rural hydrological monitoring in UNESCO biosphere environment. 2017 IEEE 4th International Conference on Smart Instrumentation, Measurement and Application (ICSIMA). https://doi.org/10.1109/icsima.2017.8311981
[13] El Chall, R., Lahoud, S., & El Helou, M. (2019). LoRaWAN network: Radio propagation models and performance evaluation in various environments in Lebanon. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6(2), 2366-2378. https://doi.org/10.1109/jiot.2019.2906838
[14] Demetri, S., Zúñiga, M., Picco, G. P., Kuipers, F., Bruzzone, L., & Telkamp, T. (2019). Automated estimation of link quality for Lora. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks. https://doi.org/10.1145/3302506.3310396
[15] Elijah, O., Rahman, T. A., Saharuddin, H., & Khairodin, F. (2019). Factors that impact Lora IoT communication technology. 2019 IEEE 14th Malaysia International Conference on Communication (MICC). https://doi.org/10.1109/micc48337.2019.9037503
[16] Triantafyllou, A., Sarigiannidis, P., & Lagkas, T. D. (2018). Network protocols, schemes, and mechanisms for Internet of things (IoT): Features, open challenges, and trends. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2018, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5349894
[17] Ferrag, M. A., Maglaras, L. A., Janicke, H., Jiang, J., & Shu, L. (2017). Authentication protocols for Internet of things: A comprehensive survey. Security and Communication Networks, 2017, 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6562953
[18] White, G., Nallur, V., & Clarke, S. (2017). Quality of service approaches in IoT: A systematic mapping. Journal of Systems and Software, 132, 186-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2017.05.125
[19] Azlan, Syed Nor, and Syarifah Ezdiani. "Versatile Quality of Service for IoT-based Wireless Sensor Networks." PhD diss., Auckland University of Technology, 2018 (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). (n.d.).
[20] Sciences, C. o. (2016). WIMEA-ICT. (n.d.). WIMEA-ICT. https://wimea.mak.ac.ug/ (accessed 2 Aug 2022) WIMEA ICT Project. (2013). (Makerere University) www.wimea.mak.ac.ug
[21] Isaac Mugume, Charles Basalirwa, Daniel Waiswa, Mary Nsabagwa, Triphonia Jacob Ngailo, Joachim Reuder, Schattler Ulrich, Musa Semujju. A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of COSMO and WRF Models in Quantitative Rainfall Prediction. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Marine and Environmental Sciences Vol:12, No:2, 2018.
[22] Maximus Byamukama, Janet Nakato Nannono, Kabonire Ruhinda, Björn Pehrson, Mary Nsabagwa, Roselyn Akol, Robert Olsson, Geoffrey Bakkabulindi, Emmanuel Kondela. Design Guidelines for Ultra-low Power Gateways in Environment Monitoring Wireless Sensor Networks. IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings.
[23] Maximus Byamukama, Mary Nsabagwa, and Julianne Sansa-Otim. Leveraging Inter-Institutional Connectivity to Facilitate Weather Data Transmission from Automatic Weather Stations in Uganda. ISSN 2223-7062 Proceedings and Report of the 9th UbuntuNet Alliance Annual Conference, 2016 pp 9-16.
[24] Byamukama, M., Bakkabulindi, G., Pehrson, B., Nsabagwa, M., & Akol, R. (2018). Powering environment monitoring wireless sensor networks: A review of design and operational challenges in eastern Africa. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Internet of Things, 4(14), 155570. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.13-7-2018.155570
[25] Byamukama, M., Akol, R., Bakkabulindi, G., Pehrson, B., Olsson, R., & Sansa-Otim, J. (2018). Energy storage options for environment monitoring wireless sensor networks in rural Africa. 2018 IEEE 12th International Conference on Compatibility, Power Electronics and Power Engineering (CPE-POWERENG 2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/cpe.2018.8372600
[26] Radio Sensors AB, (Online). Available: (n.d.). notitle. https://www.radiosensors.com. (Accessed 1 October 2017).
[27] (n.d.). RENU Website. https://www.renu.ac.ug/ (accessed 15 Aug 2022).
[28] Jawad, H., Nordin, R., Gharghan, S., Jawad, A., & Ismail, M. (2017). Energy-efficient wireless sensor networks for precision agriculture: A review. Sensors, 17(8), 1781. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081781
[29] Behjati, M., Mohd Noh, A. B., Alobaidy, H. A., Zulkifley, M. A., Nordin, R., & Abdullah, N. F. (2021). Lora communications as an enabler for internet of drones towards large-scale livestock monitoring in rural farms. Sensors, 21(15), 5044. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21155044
[30] Mafuta, M., Zennaro, M., Bagula, A., Ault, G., Gombachika, H., & Chadza, T. (2013). Successful deployment of a wireless sensor network for precision agriculture in Malawi. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 9(5), 150703. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/150703
[31] Kuchekar, N. D. (2015). GSM based advanced water deployment system for irrigation using a wireless sensor network & Android mobile. International Journal of Electrical Electronics and Data Communication, 3(8). https://doi.org/10.18479/ijeedc/2015/v3i8/48355
[32] Kapis, K. (2015). A framework for deployment of easy-to-use wireless sensor networks for farm soil monitoring and control: A case study of horticulture farms in pwani region Tanzania. International Journal of New Computer Architectures and their Applications, 5(3), 107-118. https://doi.org/10.17781/p001927
[33] Zennaro, M., Ntareme, H., & Bagula, A. (2008). Experimental evaluation of temporal and energy characteristics of an outdoor sensor network. Proceedings of the International Conference on Mobile Technology, Applications, and Systems - Mobility '08. https://doi.org/10.1145/1506270.1506391
[34] Tesha, G. S., & Amanul, M. (2020). The energy conservation and consumption in wireless sensor networks based on energy efficiency clustering routing protocol. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 55-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55190-2_5
[35] Hwang, J., Shin, C., & Yoe, H. (2010). Study on an agricultural environment monitoring server system using wireless sensor networks. Sensors, 10(12), 11189-11211. https://doi.org/10.3390/s101211189
[36] Khelifi, F. (2020). Monitoring system based in wireless sensor network for precision agriculture. Internet of Things (IoT), 461-472. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37468-6_24
[37] Quy, V. K., Hau, N. V., Anh, D. V., Quy, N. M., Ban, N. T., Lanza, S., Randazzo, G., & Muzirafuti, A. (2022). IoT-enabled smart agriculture: Architecture, applications, and challenges. Applied Sciences, 12(7), 3396. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073396
[38] Joris, L., Dupont, F., Laurent, P., Bellier, P., Stoukatch, S., & Redoute, J. (2019). An autonomous Sigfox wireless sensor node for environmental monitoring. IEEE Sensors Letters, 3(7), 01-04. https://doi.org/10.1109/lsens.2019.2924058
[39] Patriciello, N., Lagen, S., Bojovic, B., & Giupponi, L. (2020). NR-U and IEEE 802.11 technologies coexistence in unlicensed mmWave spectrum: Models and evaluation. IEEE Access, 8, 71254-71271. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2987467
[40] Zhang, X., Cao, Z., & Dong, W. (2020). Overview of edge computing in the agricultural Internet of things: Key technologies, applications, challenges. IEEE Access, 8, 141748-141761. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.3013005