Feasibility of Networking Technology for Smart Farm: LoRa vs APRS

Smart farms and IoT (Internet of Things) have an inseparable relationship. Sensors, gateways, servers, databases, web-based applications, are all widely used by connected smart farms. Also, the range of communication availability, the amount of power required for communication, and required equipment are differs depending on the networking technology. Hence, the decision of networking technology is very important when implementing a smart farm. While there are many networking technologies, LoRa (Long Range) is one of the most common Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) in use by smart farms in the United States. Theoretically, APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) can communicate at greater distances than LoRa. Therefore, the study compares the feasibility of LoRa and APRS in smart farms by measuring the distance coverage of the two networking technologies. All three tests were conducted at the Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education where the transmitting antennas were mobile that moved via cars, and the receiving antennas were installed at the same tower. The distances were calculated by using Google Maps, where all the locations for the transmitting points were saved. From evaluating the test results, this paper concludes that LoRa is a more feasible wireless connection than APRS in the smart farm IoT system.