DXN: Dynamic AI-Based Analysis and Optimisation of IoT Networks’ Connectivity and Sensor Nodes’ Performance

Abstract

Most IoT networks implement one-way messages from the sensor nodes to the “application host server” via a gateway. Messages from any sensor node in the network are sent when its sensor is triggered or at regular intervals as dictated by the application, such as a Smart-City deployment of LoRaWAN traps/sensors for rat detection. However, these traps can, due to the nature of this application, be moved out of signal range from their original location, or obstructed by objects, resulting in under 69% of the messages reaching the gateway. Therefore, applications of this type would benefit from control messages from the “application host server” back to the sensor nodes for enhancing their performance/connectivity. This paper has implemented a cloud-based AI engine, as part of the “application host server”, that dynamically analyses all received messages from the sensor nodes and exchanges data/enhancement back and forth with them, when necessary. Hundreds of sensor nodes in various blocked/obstructed IoT network connectivity scenarios are used to test our DXN solution. We achieved 100% reporting success if access to any blocked sensor node was possible via a neighbouring node. DXN is based on DNN and Time Series models.