A Testbed for LoRaWAN Satellite Backhaul: Design Principles and Validation

Abstract

The satellite backhaul is becoming a feasible solution to connect a large set of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, deployed in a remote, and not-easily accessible area where no cost-effective terrestrial network is available. While several simulator and emulator tools have been designed for terrestrial and satellite networks, there is a lack of tools reproducing both together. In this paper, we focus on the LoRaWAN network with satellite backhaul, and we design an emulation-based testbed that implements the entire end-to-end system by integrating emulated satellite components, with real LoRaWAN devices. The testbed allows running experiments in real working conditions, considering the impact of Hardware and Software components, and environmental factors impacting the reliability of the satel-lite channel. First experiments have confirmed the feasibility of a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite backhaul for a LoRaWAN network. The delay introduced by the satellite does not heavily impact the normal protocol behaviour. On the contrary, attenuation on the satellite channel (due to not clear sky condition) may hinder the Over The Air Activation (OTAA) join procedure, and the reception of Acknowledgment (ACK) by Class-A devices. In ideal condition (clear sky) the achieved performance in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) is comparable to the ones obtained with an Ethernet-based terrestrial backhaul.