Method for determining network coverage and response to interference for an IoT LoRaWAN gateway - sensors system

Camnexus is a technology startup of the University of Cambridge that develops end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for business clients in remote and industrial operations. Our mission is to enable businesses operating in the water, food and energy sectors to achieve their sustainability targets with a low-power IoT and real-time cloud-based automatic anomaly detection systems. To date, the company has deployed its IoT solution in four different operational environments, including underground sewage chambers, open pit mining operations, and agriculture greenhouses.

The innovative nature of our solution is based on the integration of low-power (LPWAN) technology with Camnexus development of an intuitive cloud-based real-time data processing, analysis and visualisation platform for monitoring and prediction of operational inefficiencies.

The Camnexus IoT solution consists of end node sensor devices, the Camnexus LoRaWAN gateway and servers, and the real-time data processing and visualisation capability in client-specific customised dashboard. The communication between the gateway and the cloud can be done through WiFi, fibre optic (ethernet) or 3G, 4G or 5G. Recent participation of Camnexus in the first private 5G network accelerator of Cambridge Wireless, UK, resulted in the new product and service offering, a dedicated LoRaWAN IP68 gateway (KUBO(c)) for industrial operations, which can connect to 3G, 4G, 5G and satellite, in addition to fibre optic.

Camnexus' solution of communication to the network of sensors is based on LoRaWAN technology, which allows larger area coverage and infrastructure scalability, ideal for industrial applications with a large number of connected devices.

Camnexus requires the experience of a professional testing laboratory, which has been previously cost-prohibitive to Camnexus, in order to determine the maximum area coverage of communication to define the optimal range that allows maximising the data transfer (bandwidth specification) without putting the communication at risk. The analysis would also allow the definition of the optimal distance, including the selection of antennas to ensure the communication quality. We aim to address the interference and attenuation measurement and analysis issues regarding the capability of Camnexus equipment in this project.