A Low-Power Wireless Sensor Platform for Densely Distributed Environmental Monitoring in Remote Field Sites
Abstract
In order to develop a predictive understanding of an ecosystems hydro-biogeochemical processes, environmental observations with high spatial and temporal resolutions are required. Wireless sensor networks provide a venue for large scale environmental data acquisition. However, remote field sites pose specific hardware and connectivity requirements in terms of power consumption, range, and reliability. This research focuses on a low-power hardware platform with provisions for environmental sensor measurements, time keeping, data storage, and wireless connectivity through Bluetooth LE and LoRa. The proposed hardware platform uses a custom LoRa protocol stack that relies on Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). This implementation enables the use of single-channel LoRa radios, which results in a low-cost, low-power solution. The hardware platform supports wireless sensor and gateway functionality, which further reduces the cost and complexity of developments and field deployments. In wireless sensor mode, the device periodically stores sensor measurements in local memory and transmits the data over the LoRa wireless interface. In wireless gateway mode, data from the sensor network is received, stored on an SD card, and shared over a UART interface that can be connected to a PC, cellular modem, or WiFi bridge. All devices in the network operate on AA batteries and support gateway redundancy, increasing the reliability and coverage of the network. We performed lab and field experiments to test and evaluate the reliability, range, and power consumption of the hardware platform. The proposed solution enables long-term monitoring of environmental parameters (e.g., soil and snow temperature) in remote field sites at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFM.A35H1728W