Evaluation of IoT gateways for developing communities: smart Maputo

Abstract

Connectivity is the essential requirement for a smart city, and traditional techniques are too costly to connect a great number of devices which might be served with lower data throughput, but require longer ranges to accommodate the requirements of IoT. Although cellular technologies and Wi-Fi have proved an enormous success in connecting billions of users to the Internet, they are not the best to connect objects with limited throughput requirements, limited processing power and low power consumption requirements. These needs are being addressed by Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) that use unlicensed frequencies and by newer cellular protocols aimed at lowering the cost of the devices by limiting their bandwidth capabilities in the licensed bands. This paper discusses these technologies and the choice made to provide an IoT infrastructure for the city of Maputo in Mozambique.