Ameloot Thomas, Van Torre Patrick, Rogier Hendrik
IDLab, Department of Information Technology (INTEC), Ghent University-IMEC, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Sensors (Basel). 2021 Apr 30;21(9):3128. doi: 10.3390/s21093128.
When aiming for the wider deployment of low-power sensor networks, the use of sub-GHz frequency bands shows a lot of promise in terms of robustness and minimal power consumption. Yet, when deploying such sensor networks over larger areas, the link quality can be impacted by a host of factors. Therefore, this contribution demonstrates the performance of several links in a real-world, research-oriented sensor network deployed in a (sub)urban environment. Several link characteristics are presented and analysed, exposing frequent signal deterioration and, more rarely, signal strength enhancement along certain long-distance wireless links. A connection is made between received power levels and seasonal weather changes and events. The irregular link performance presented in this paper is found to be genuinely disruptive when pushing sensor-networks to their limits in terms of range and power use. This work aims to give an indication of the severity of these effects in order to enable the design of truly reliable sensor networks.
在致力于更广泛地部署低功耗传感器网络时，使用低于1GHz的频段在稳健性和最低功耗方面展现出诸多前景。然而，当在更大区域部署此类传感器网络时，链路质量可能会受到诸多因素的影响。因此，本论文展示了在一个位于（亚）城市环境中、以研究为导向的实际传感器网络中多条链路的性能。文中呈现并分析了若干链路特性，揭示了频繁的信号恶化情况，以及在某些长距离无线链路上较少出现的信号强度增强现象。还建立了接收功率水平与季节性天气变化及事件之间的联系。当在传感器网络的范围和功耗方面将其推向极限时，本文所呈现的不规则链路性能被发现具有真正的破坏性。这项工作旨在表明这些影响的严重程度，以便能够设计出真正可靠的传感器网络。
