Low power wide area network (LPWAN) is a promising solution for long range and low power Internet of Things (IoT) and machine to machine (M2M) communication applications. This paper focuses on defining a systematic and powerful approach of identifying the key characteristics of such applications, translating them into explicit requirements, and then deriving the associated design considerations. LPWANs are resource-constrained networks and are primarily characterized by long battery life operation, extended coverage, high capacity, and low device and deployment costs. These characteristics translate into a key set of requirements including M2M traffic management, massive capacity, energy efficiency, low power operations, extended coverage, security, and interworking. The set of corresponding design considerations is identified in terms of two categories, desired or expected ones and enhanced ones, which reflect the wide range of characteristics associated with LPWAN-based applications. Prominent design constructs include admission and user traffic management, interference management, energy saving modes of operation, lightweight media access control (MAC) protocols, accurate location identification, security coverage techniques, and flexible software re-configurability. Topological and architectural options for interconnecting LPWAN entities are discussed. The major proprietary and standards-based LPWAN technology solutions available in the marketplace are presented. These include Sigfox, LoRaWAN, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), and long term evolution (LTE)-M, among others. The relevance of upcoming cellular 5G technology and its complementary relationship with LPWAN technology are also discussed.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/12/3/46/pdf

LPWAN Technologies: Emerging Application Characteristics, Requirements, and Design Considerations

Sensors play a vital role in our daily lives and are an essential component for Internet of Things (IoT) based systems as they enable the IoT to collect data to take smart and intelligent decisions. Recent advances in IoT systems, applications, and technologies, including industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), are being supported by a wide range of different types of sensors based on artificial intelligence (AI). These smart AI-based sensors are typically characterized by onboard intelligence and have the ability to communicate collaboratively or through the Internet. To achieve the high level of automation required in today’s smart IoT applications, sensors incorporated into nodes must be efficient, intelligent, context-aware, reliable, accurate, and connected. Such sensors must also be robust, safety- and privacy-aware for users interacting with them. Sensors leveraging advanced AI technologies, new capabilities have recently emerged which have the potential to detect, identify, and avoid performance degradation and discover new patterns. Along with knowledge from complex sensor datasets, they can promote product innovation, improve operation level, and open up novel business models. We review sensors, smart data processing, communication protocol, and artificial intelligence which will enable the deployment of AI-based sensors for next-generation IoT applications.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Sensors for Next Generation IoT Applications: A Review

Mobile wireless communication heavily relies on the radio frequency to convey message and data. However, its limited spectrum can hardly meet the demands for the future high data rate applications....

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2019.0191

Some practical constraints and solutions for optical camera communication.

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a digital multicarrier modulation scheme that is employed in broadband wired and wireless communication as an effective solution with inter-symbol interference caused by a multipath channel. In light fidelity, the OFDM waveform is well-known and frequently implemented; however, the use of such technology with optical camera communication (OCC) is novel. This paper presents the one-dimensional OFDM OCC system. The modulation scheme based on OFDM uses a rolling-shutter effect to transmit data at a high rate. Based on theoretical and experimental validation, we propose a simple system design with various technical details such as system architectures and theoretical analyses of the link budget.

/pdf/rolling-ofdm-for-image-sensor-based-optical-wireless-21rid94dls.pdf

Rolling OFDM for Image Sensor Based Optical Wireless Communication

Wireless communication refers to data transfer in an unguided propagation medium through wireless carriers such as visible light (VL) and radio frequency (RF). The rapidly growing demand for high data rates overloads conventional RF wireless communication. Therefore, technologies such as cognitive radios and millimeter waves (mmWaves) have been utilized to overcome capacity limitation and spectrum scarcity of RF systems. In parallel, optical wireless communication (OWC) is a promising alternative solution to its radio frequency (RF) compeer. OWC has been revolutionized to support fifth generation (5G) wireless communication and Internet-of-Things (IoT) terminals. In addition, OWC has no health hazard, low power consumption, unlicensed spectrum and shows immunity to interferences from electromagnetic sources. As RF and OWC are compatible, so a joint application scenario is referred as an excellent solution to support 5G and beyond systems. Hybrid optical/optical and RF/optical system is a promising approach to remove the limitations of each system as well as to enable supporting features of each technology. An optical/optical hybrid system is based on two or more OWC technologies while RF/optical hybrid system contains both RF and OWC technologies. The hybrid systems can enhance system performance in terms of energy efficiency, reliability and throughput of each system. Thus, hybrid RF/optical systems are envisioned as a key enabler to enhance user mobility and data rate on the one hand and to optimize power consumption, network load, interference and network capacity on the other hand. This survey seeks to provide the state-of-the-art and future research directions regarding optical wireless hybrid networks. This paper represents a technological overview of existing optical wireless hybrid networks. We have discussed optical-based free-space optics (FSO), optical camera communication (OCC), light fidelity (LiFi) which extends the concept of visible light communication (VLC) to attain bi-directional and fully networked wireless communication, as well as RF-based Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi), small cell, macrocell, mmWave and microwave. In addition, we have also considered underwater acoustic communication for acoustic/optical and acoustic/RF hybrid networks. An extensive range of applications such as indoor, vehicular communication, eHealth, backhaul connectivity solution and underwater communication is considered. We have addressed potential challenges and open research issues for design and successful deployment of hybrid wireless networks.

A comprehensive survey on hybrid wireless networks: practical considerations, challenges, applications and research directions

Unlike visible light communication (VLC) using photo detector, optical camera communication (OCC) employs an image sensor as the receiver. In this paper, we discuss the parameter of rolling shutter camera (focal length, FOV, rolling rate, frame rate) which impact to the data rate of optical camera communication system. Besides that, we proposed the suitable parameter of cameras for optical camera communication system to enhance the higher performance of data transmission.

The Impact of Camera Parameters on Optical Camera Communication

Radio-frequency technologies are widely applied in many fields such as mobile systems, healthcare systems, television and radio broadcasting, and satellite communications. However, one major problem in wireless communication based on radio frequencies is its impact on human health. High frequencies adversely impact human health more than low frequencies if the signal power transgresses the permissible threshold. Therefore, researchers are investigating the use of visible light waves (instead of the radio-frequency band) for data transmission in three major areas: visible light communication, light fidelity, and optical camera communication. In this paper, we propose a scheme that upgrades the camera on-off keying (COOK) scheme by using it with the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme; COOK has been recommended by the IEEE 802.15.7-2018 standard. By applying technologies, such as matched filter, region of interest, and MIMO, our proposed scheme promises to improve the performance of the conventional scheme by improving the data rate, communication distance, and bit error rate. By controlling the exposure time, the focal length in a single camera and using channel coding, our proposed scheme can achieve the communication distance of up to 20 m, with a low error rate.

Design and Implementation of the MIMO-COOK Scheme Using an Image Sensor for Long-Range Communication.

This paper proposes a novel method of training and applying a neural network to act as an adaptive decoder for a modulation scheme used in optical camera communication (OCC). We present a brief discussion on trending artificial intelligence applications, the contemporary ways of applying them in a wireless communication field, such as visible light communication (VLC), optical wireless communication (OWC) and OCC, and its potential contribution in the development of this research area. Furthermore, we proposed an OCC vehicular system architecture with artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities, where dimmable spatial 8-phase shift keying (DS8-PSK) is employed as one out of two modulation schemes to form a hybrid waveform. Further demonstration of simulating the blurring process on a transmitter image, as well as our proposed method of using a neural network as a decoder for DS8-PSK, is provided in detail. Finally, experimental results are given to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method over an investigating channel condition.

A Novel Neural Network-Based Method for Decoding and Detecting of the DS8-PSK Scheme in an OCC System

There are several existing Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)-technologies competing to provide M2M connectivity and secure niche in the Internet of Things (IoT) universe. Most of well-known LPWAN approaches are quite recognizable thanks to sizable marketing efforts though most of it practically is not the right choice for the robust long-range and large-scale networks. We have compared the famous LPWAN technologies to provide a complete overview of the different perspective. From the comparison, the considering candidate to be used in the Smart Cities Application is then revealed based on its advantages.

Huy Nguyen

Papers

Rolling OFDM for Image Sensor Based Optical Wireless Communication

The Impact of Camera Parameters on Optical Camera Communication

Design and Implementation of the MIMO-COOK Scheme Using an Image Sensor for Long-Range Communication.

A Novel Neural Network-Based Method for Decoding and Detecting of the DS8-PSK Scheme in an OCC System

Low Power Wide Area Network Technologies for Smart Cities Applications