An evaluation of LoRa coverage in Dakar Peninsula

Providing low cost, reliable and efficient applications become the major pillars of Internet of Things. According to coverage range, Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) take a prominent place at the expense of cellular networks based applications. Based on real-life measurements, we evaluate the LoRa (Long Range) coverage within Dakar peninsula covering a ground area of 83Km
²
. The measurements were performed with LoRa stations working in the 868MHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio bands using 14dBm transmit power and a spreading factor of 12. During our tests, we criss-crossed more than 40km in Dakar peninsula where we observed a good coverage as well as a good Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) up to a maximum communication range equals to 10km. Furthermore, the obtained average packet loss ratio is less than 30%.