Positioning comparison LoRaWAN vs. GPS

LoRaWAN Geolokalisierung

GPS

GPS is a positioning system whereby a GPS device (end device) receives satellite data and can determine the position coordinates itself based on the signal propagation times. This position is then displayed directly on the end device or forwarded to a control center or a cloud via an additional integrated radio interface. Based on this data, the user can display the position of several end devices on a map such as Google Maps.

The accuracy is usually around 2m to 13m. Accuracies below 2m can be achieved with a great deal of effort (differential GPS). For precise positioning, data must be received from at least 4 satellites, whereby reception only works reliably outdoors. In indoor areas, other positioning technologies must be used.

The energy consumption for GPS positioning on the end device is relatively high. GPS technology is therefore mainly suitable for non-battery-operated devices (e.g. vehicles) or battery-operated devices that can be recharged daily (e.g. cell phones). GPS is not suitable for regularly determining the position of devices with a long battery life.

LoRaWAN geolocalization

Positioning via the LoRaWAN network was designed to optimize the major disadvantages of GPS technology, such as energy consumption, the lack of indoor coverage and the high material costs per device. However, there is the trade-off that the accuracy of the positions cannot keep up with GPS technology, although a massively better accuracy is achieved than with mobile network positioning.

The position calculation of the end nodes in the LoRaWAN network is not carried out on the end nodes themselves, but on the network server. This only requires normal radio data transmissions from the end node to the gateway or the cloud. Based on the signal strengths, signal propagation times and the defined positions of the gateways, the network server can use LoRaWAN geolocalization to calculate the position of the end node and make it available to the user for visualization. Compared to GPS positioning, no additional energy is required by the end node to determine its position. This massively reduces energy consumption, which also makes the technology suitable for battery-operated devices from which the position is to be determined regularly. In addition, the costs for the relatively expensive GPS receiver modules are eliminated for each end node, which means that cost-effective end nodes can be realized.

As LoRaWAN gateways can also cover indoor areas, positioning also works indoors. Thanks to the evaluation of signal propagation times, the penetration of walls has less influence on positioning accuracy than with technologies that only evaluate signal strength. Nevertheless, significantly more gateways need to be used indoors or in urban environments in order to achieve a similar level of accuracy as outdoors.

As already mentioned, LoRaWAN geolocalization cannot keep up with GPS technology in terms of positioning accuracy. Positioning accuracy is between 20m and 200m. The more radio telegrams are sent from the same position and the more gateways can receive an end node, the more accurate the result will be. This technology is therefore best suited for stationary applications.

If there is no public LoRaWAN coverage at a location, the problem can be solved by installing one or more additional gateways. For example, large company premises in outdoor and indoor areas can be completely covered with one positioning technology, which until now was usually only possible with a combination of several positioning technologies and correspondingly higher costs.

In principle, LoRaWAN localization with low energy consumption opens up numerous new possibilities, such as

• Smart cities: displaying free parking spaces
• Smart agriculture: monitoring plants and fields
• Goods tracking: Tracking goods across an entire supply chain
• Geofencing: Alarm if a certain area is left
• etc.

We are convinced that LoRaWAN geolocation has enormous potential, especially thanks to its low-power characteristics. We would be happy to support you with our radio know-how in the implementation of your next localization project. We look forward to your inquiry.