Evaluating LoRaWAN for IoT applications by developing a wireless parking space monitoring sensor

Abstract: The process of finding a parking space can be a tedious task that drivers spent too much time on today. With the rising threat from global warming, reducing the time spent driving is vital. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the use of LoRaWAN for urban IoT applications by developing a sensor system for parking space monitoring to make this process easier. The main component of the developed prototype of the sensor system consists of a The Things UNO, which is a modified version of the Arduino Leonardo with an integrated RN2483 LoRaWAN transceiver module. Two types of sensors, an ultrasonic distance sensor and a magnetometer, were tested for car detecting abilities in the sensor system. The distance sensor was proven to be the more reliable sensor for detecting cars, but a combination of both a distance sensor and a magnetometer can be used to improve the power usage of the system. LoRaWAN has a high potential to work great in a parking space monitoring system and other urban IoT applications, but its coverage and reliability in different conditions requires more testing.