Resumo:
The expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) applications in large territories, such as Brazil,
faces significant connectivity challenges in remote areas with limited infrastructure and
urban environments with high interference. The validation of Low-Power Wide-Area
Network (LPWAN) technologies in real-world scenarios is of great importance for the
development of robust and scalable solutions.
Thus, this study focuses on the application of IoT concepts in the development of an electronic
module optimized for long-range data transmission, prioritizing range, maximum
reliability, operational autonomy, and viability for large-scale production. To this end,
a communication system using LoRaWAN technology was developed and experimentally
validated, allowing for the analysis of the system performance under real-world conditions.
The performance evaluation, based on metrics such as Received Signal Strength Indication
(RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and Packet Loss Rate (PLR), allowed for the
analysis of channel degradation and identification of practical communication limits. The
quantitative analysis of the results demonstrated that the presence of a direct Line-of-
Sight (LoS) is a key factor for high reliability, achieving a packet loss rate of 4.39%. For
non-line-of-sight scenarios, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of using high-gain
antennas, which reduced the packet loss rate from nearly 30% to 6.02% in a rural environment.
Simultaneously, the study established the practical limit of the system, where
the combination of long distance and multiple terrain obstructions led to total communication
failure (100% packet loss). These practical thresholds, which also validate the
theoretical robustness of the system in operating with an SNR as low as -20.39dB, serve
as a guide for planning resilient networks in challenging propagation scenarios, such as
those found in Brazil.
