An Open-Source GNU Radio Framework for LoRa Physical Layer and Collision Resolution

Abstract

LoRa (Long Range) is a physical layer designed for low-power wide area networks. It is widely used to provide long range connectivity to Internet of Things devices. In order to improve the limited throughput of LoRa, researchers have proposed several collision resolution algorithms. However, a common software framework to compare these algorithms is lacking. In this paper, we propose an open-source framework using GNU Radio, mainly designed to test and compare collision resolution algorithms, as well as physical layer algorithms. Our framework can help optimizing the parameters of algorithms according to channel conditions such as very low signal to noise ratio for instance. We also discuss technical implementation issues of existing collision resolution algorithms. Finally, we show how our framework can be used for either real experiments on USRPs, or for simulations with a large number of nodes.