Eduardo El Akkari Sallum

Bio: Eduardo El Akkari Sallum is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Integer programming & Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 22 citations.

Improving Quality-Of-Service in LoRa Low-Power Wide-Area Networks through Optimized Radio Resource Management

Abstract: Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) enable a growing number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications with large geographical coverage, low bit-rate, and long lifetime requirements. LoRa (Long Range) is a well-known LPWAN technology that uses a proprietary Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) physical layer, while the upper layers are defined by an open standard—LoRaWAN. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of LoRaWAN networks by fine-tuning specific radio parameters. Through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem formulation, we find optimal settings for the Spreading Factor (SF) and Carrier Frequency (CF) radio parameters, considering the network traffic specifications as a whole, to improve the Data Extraction Rate (DER) and to reduce the packet collision rate and the energy consumption in LoRa networks. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is demonstrated by simulations, using LoRaSim for different network scales. In relation to the traditional LoRa radio parameter assignment policies, our solution leads to an average increase of 6% in DER, and a number of collisions 13 times smaller. In comparison to networks with dynamic radio parameter assignment policies, there is an increase of 5%, 2.8%, and 2% of DER, and a number of collisions 11, 7.8 and 2.5 times smaller than equal-distribution, Tiurlikova’s (SOTA), and random distribution, respectively. Regarding the network energy consumption metric, the proposed optimization obtained an average consumption similar to Tiurlikova’s, and 2.8 times lower than the equal-distribution and random dynamic allocation policies. Furthermore, we approach the practical aspects of how to implement and integrate the optimization mechanism proposed in LoRa, guaranteeing backward compatibility with the standard protocol.

Performance analysis and comparison of the DSDV, AODV and OLSR routing protocols under VANETs

Abstract: Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Road Infrastructure (V2R) and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communications are paramount for paving the way for smarter, cleaner and safer cities and roads. We investigate on how three state-of-the-art Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) routing protocols behave over the IEEE 802.11p/WAVE stack, which has been recently been specified for Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs): Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) and Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector (DSDV). Based on ns-3 and BonnMotion simulations, we evaluate Packet Delivery Rate, Goodput, Routing Overhead and End-to-End Delay for different trajectories, average speeds, and network densities. Our results show that the DSDV and OLSR protocols have a better performance than AODV, for low-density and low-speed scenarios. Additionally, we have observed that when the number of Nodes (network density) or Nodes’ velocity increases, the OLSR protocol performs better than the other two.

Performance optimization on LoRa networks through assigning radio parameters

Abstract: Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) enable a growing number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications with large geographical coverage, low bit-rate, and long lifetime requirements. LoRa (Long Range) is a well-known LPWAN technology that uses a proprietary Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) physical layer, while the upper layers are defined by an open standard - LoRaWAN. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of LoRa networks by fine-tuning specific radio parameters. Through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem formulation, we find optimal settings for the Spreading Factor (SF) and Carrier Frequency (CF) radio parameters, considering the network traffic specifications as a whole, to improve the Data Extraction Rate (DER) and to reduce the packet collision rate and the energy consumption in LoRa networks. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is demonstrated by simulations, using LoRaSim for different network scales. In relation to the traditional LoRa radio parameter assignment policies, our solution leads to an average increase of 6% in DER, and a number of collisions 13 times smaller. In comparison to networks with dynamic radio parameter assignment policies, there is an increase of 5% and 2% of DER, and a number of collisions 11 and 2.5 times smaller than equal-distribution, and random distribution, respectively.

A Survey on Adaptive Data Rate Optimization in LoRaWAN: Recent Solutions and Major Challenges.

Abstract: Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a fast-growing communication system for Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) in the Internet of Things (IoTs) deployments. LoRaWAN is built to optimize LPWANs for battery lifetime, capacity, range, and cost. LoRaWAN employs an Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) scheme that dynamically optimizes data rate, airtime, and energy consumption. The major challenge in LoRaWAN is that the LoRa specification does not state how the network server must command end nodes pertaining rate adaptation. As a result, numerous ADR schemes have been proposed to cater for the many applications of IoT technology, the quality of service requirements, different metrics, and radio frequency (RF) conditions. This offers a challenge for the reliability and suitability of these schemes. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the research on ADR algorithms for LoRaWAN technology. First, we provide an overview of LoRaWAN network performance that has been explored and documented in the literature and then focus on recent solutions for ADR as an optimization approach to improve throughput, energy efficiency and scalability. We then distinguish the approaches used, highlight their strengths and drawbacks, and provide a comparison of these approaches. Finally, we identify some research gaps and future directions.

A Survey on LoRaWAN Technology: Recent Trends, Opportunities, Simulation Tools and Future Directions

Abstract: Low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies play a pivotal role in IoT applications, owing to their capability to meet the key IoT requirements (e.g., long range, low cost, small data volumes, massive device number, and low energy consumption). Between all obtainable LPWAN technologies, long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) technology has attracted much interest from both industry and academia due to networking autonomous architecture and an open standard specification. This paper presents a comparative review of five selected driving LPWAN technologies, including NB-IoT, SigFox, Telensa, Ingenu (RPMA), and LoRa/LoRaWAN. The comparison shows that LoRa/LoRaWAN and SigFox surpass other technologies in terms of device lifetime, network capacity, adaptive data rate, and cost. In contrast, NB-IoT technology excels in latency and quality of service. Furthermore, we present a technical overview of LoRa/LoRaWAN technology by considering its main features, opportunities, and open issues. We also compare the most important simulation tools for investigating and analyzing LoRa/LoRaWAN network performance that has been developed recently. Then, we introduce a comparative evaluation of LoRa simulators to highlight their features. Furthermore, we classify the recent efforts to improve LoRa/LoRaWAN performance in terms of energy consumption, pure data extraction rate, network scalability, network coverage, quality of service, and security. Finally, although we focus more on LoRa/LoRaWAN issues and solutions, we introduce guidance and directions for future research on LPWAN technologies.

A Survey on Long-Range Wide-Area Network Technology Optimizations

Abstract: Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) enables flexible long-range service communications with low power consumption which is suitable for many IoT applications. The densification of LoRaWAN, which is needed to meet a wide range of IoT networking requirements, poses further challenges. For instance, the deployment of gateways and IoT devices are widely deployed in urban areas, which leads to interference caused by concurrent transmissions on the same channel. In this context, it is crucial to understand aspects such as the coexistence of IoT devices and applications, resource allocation, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, network planning, and mobility support, that directly affect LoRaWAN’s performance. We present a systematic review of state-of-the-art works for LoRaWAN optimization solutions for IoT networking operations. We focus on five aspects that directly affect the performance of LoRaWAN. These specific aspects are directly associated with the challenges of densification of LoRaWAN. Based on the literature analysis, we present a taxonomy covering five aspects related to LoRaWAN optimizations for efficient IoT networks. Finally, we identify key research challenges and open issues in LoRaWAN optimizations for IoT networking operations that must be further studied in the future.

The Art of Designing Remote IoT Devices—Technologies and Strategies for a Long Battery Life

Abstract: Long-range wireless connectivity technologies for sensors and actuators open the door for a variety of new Internet of Things (IoT) applications These technologies can be deployed to establish new monitoring capabilities and enhance efficiency of services in a rich diversity of domains Low energy consumption is essential to enable battery-powered IoT nodes with a long autonomy This paper explains the challenges posed by combining low-power and long-range connectivity An energy breakdown demonstrates the dominance of transmit and sleep energy The principles for achieving both low-power and wide-area are outlined, and the landscape of available networking technologies that are suited to connect remote IoT nodes is sketched The typical anatomy of such a node is presented, and the subsystems are zoomed into The art of designing remote IoT devices requires an application-oriented approach, where a meticulous design and smart operation are essential to grant a long battery life In particular we demonstrate the importance of strategies such as "think before you talk" and "race to sleep" As maintenance of IoT nodes is often cumbersome due to being deployed at hard to reach places, extending the battery life of these devices is critical Moreover, the environmental impact of batteries further demonstrates the need for a longer battery life in order to reduce the number of batteries used

Performance Evaluation of Data Dissemination Protocols for Connected Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract: An overwhelmed number of vehicles has wrecked the current system of transportation due to rapid growth in population. Smart cities are the novel innovation that is inevitable to curb the problems of traffic jams, unorganized traffic, environmental pollution, and slow response rate to emergency situations. The intelligent transportation system (ITS) is an integral part of smart cities allowing communications and interaction among vehicles. An autonomous vehicle is the key element of ITS and the mass implementation of this emerging technology is the solution to traffic problems linked to the current transportation system. Autonomous vehicles lead to the need for efficient and reliable external vehicular communications particularly through vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). However, utilizing a suitable routing protocol to provide stable routing and efficient performance for vehicular communications in autonomous vehicles is a key factor. Routing protocols are particularly important for establishing vehicular to vehicular and vehicular to infrastructure (V2X) communication, which is incredibly challenging due to the movement of nodes. The quality of inter-vehicular communications is widely affected by numerous factors such as routing protocols, traffic environment, and traffic density. This article presents a detailed evaluation of three commonly used protocols, i.e., Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), and Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing (DSDV) under three different traffic environments. To investigate the performance of these routing protocols under diverse environments, simulations are extended further by using the varying density of vehicles. This study aims at finding the best routing protocol for efficient and reliable packet dissemination among vehicles under different scenarios.