Assessment of Optimal Time Scheduled Channel Access in LoRaWAN

Continuous advancements in smart solutions are consistently making their way into the market. To address the growing demand for connectivity across the globe, the deployment of large-scale cellular networks is a viable option. However, in many cases, basic monitoring applications or devices do not require high bandwidth or extremely low latency. An excellent alternative to provide coverage to such end devices is LoRaWAN, which significantly increased in popularity in recent years. Yet, LoRaWAN employs a random channel access method for message transmissions, which can lead to sensor interference, message collisions, and, in the worst-case, message loss. Consequently, researchers study alternatives to random channel access, sometimes overlooking LoRaWAN regulations. In this study, we close this gap in literature by conducting a theoretical investigation of a time scheduled channel access approach for LoRaWAN. This approach remains compliant with network regulations for various adjustable network and message parameters. Furthermore, we extend the simple time scheduled approach by introducing variable slot lengths, thereby increasing flexibility and highlighting its potential benefits.