Propagation Measurements for IQRF Network in an Urban Environment

Recently, IQRF has emerged as a promising technology for the Internet of Things (IoT), owing to its ability to support short- and medium-range low-power communications. However, real world deployment of IQRF-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs) requires accurate path loss modelling to estimate network coverage and other performances. In the existing literature, extensive research on propagation modelling for IQRF network deployment in urban environments has not been provided yet. Therefore, this study proposes an empirical path loss model for the deployment of IQRF networks in a peer-to-peer configured system where the IQRF sensor nodes operate in the 868 MHz band. For this purpose, extensive measurement campaigns are conducted outdoor in an urban environment for Line-of-Sight (LoS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) links. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the prediction accuracy of well-known empirical path loss models for urban environments, the measurements are compared with the predicted path loss values. The results show that the COST-231 Walfisch-Ikegami model has higher prediction accuracy and can be used for IQRF network planning in LoS links, while the COST-231 Hata model has better accuracy in NLoS links. On the other hand, the effects of antennas on the performance of IQRF transceivers (TRs) for LoS and NLoS links are also scrutinized. The use of IQRF TRs with a Straight-Line Dipole Antenna (SLDA) antenna is found to offer more stable results when compared to IQRF (TRs) with Meander Line Antenna (MLA) antenna. Therefore, it is believed that the findings presented in this article could offer useful insights for researchers interested in the development of IoT-based smart city applications.