Capacity limits of LoRaWAN technology for smart metering applications

Abstract

In this paper we analyze and discuss the capacity limits of LoRaWAN technology for smart metering applications using a real LoRa network simulator including uplink and downlink. First, we present the modeling of the network simulator. Then results for a critical case in the center of Paris show that, with meters all located deep indoor, the capacity of a network covering a dense urban area of 17 km <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> with 19 gateways distant from 1 km, considering only UL emissions, could be enough for an average targeted QoS of 98 % as soon as there is no other traffic in the considered band. But we also show that we could very quickly reach the limits when considering that meters will not be the only LoRa devices communicating and above all considering the important impact of DL emissions on capacity.