Establishing LoRa based Local Agri-Sensor Network through Sensor plugin modules and LoRaWAN Data concentrator for extensive Agriculture Automation

LoRa is a long range, low power wireless platform capable of establishing wireless Internet of Things (IoT). LoRa devices and networks such as LoRaWAN accelerates smart IoT applications. Now a days sensors are coming with diverse interfacing approaches. In order to interface sensors with LoRa network, a Sensor plugin module design and development is imperative. The sensor plugin module shall gather, digitize and transfer the sensor data to the LoRaWAN data concentrator in SMARTFARM module. This ensures, reliability and flexibility in sensor interfacing. The LoRaWAN data concentrator (gateway) shall receive the data from the sensor plugin module. Multiple sensor plugin modules can be interfaced with the data concentrator. A proprietary data transfer protocol shall be designed for secure and loss less data transfer between the nodes and data concentrator. The Data concentrator is equipped with multiple IoT interfaces and whole system operates in three wireless communication frequency bands, 868MHz for node-to-gateway communication and 2.4GHz (WLAN) along with GSM-GPRS connectivity for gateway-to-cloud communication. The data to the cloud database shall be transferred through the inbuilt GPRS module and Wi-Fi module.The entire system can be deployed for attaining automation in large agriculture fields. The agricultural and environmental parameters acquired through the sensors shall be transmitted over LoRa network using the sensor plugin module. From the plugin module, the data is then transmitted through secure and proprietary LoRa protocol to the LoRaWAN data concentrator in the SMARTFARM module. The SMARTFARM module receives the data and process/forward this data to the IoT cloud.