Survey and Comparative Study of LoRa-Enabled Simulators for Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Networking

Background:

• The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing technology with diverse applications.
• Network simulation tools are crucial for testing IoT systems before deployment.
• Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), particularly LoRa, are gaining significant interest for IoT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically survey and analyze available IoT and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) simulators.
• To provide an overview of LoRa/LoRaWAN technology and its simulation tools.
• To compare the performance of popular open-source simulators (NS-3, OMNeT++ (FLoRa), LoRaSim) for LoRa/LoRaWAN networks.

Main Methods:

• A chronological survey and content analysis of scientific papers on IoT and WSN simulation tools.
• Categorization of studies based on simulation tools, study type, scope, and performance metrics.
• Overview of LoRa/LoRaWAN architecture, parameters, and device classes.
• Performance evaluation of NS-3, OMNeT++ (FLoRa), and LoRaSim using metrics like Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), CPU utilization, memory usage, execution time, and collision count.

Main Results:

• Identification and categorization of various IoT and WSN simulation tools.
• Detailed discussion of LoRa/LoRaWAN technology and its simulation landscape.
• Comparative performance analysis of NS-3, OMNeT++ (FLoRa), and LoRaSim for LoRaWAN simulations.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a comprehensive overview and performance comparison of key IoT/WSN simulators for LoRaWAN.
• This research aids in selecting appropriate simulation tools for future IoT and WSN research and development.
• The findings are valuable for researchers and developers working with LoRa/LoRaWAN technologies.