Error mitigation in LPWAN systems: A study on the efficacy of Hamming-coded RPW

Abstract

Rotating Polarization Wave (RPW) is a novel Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) technology for robust connectivity and extended coverage area as compared to other LPWAN technologies such as LoRa and Sigfox when no error detection and correction is employed. Since, IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication demand high reliability, RPW with error correction can significantly enhance the communication reliability for critical IoT and M2M applications. Therefore, this study investigates the performance of RPW with single bit error detection and correction using Hamming codes to avoid substantial overhead. Hamming (7,4) coded RPW shows a remarkable improvement of more than 40% in error performance compared to uncoded RPW thereby making it a suitable candidate for IoT and M2M applications. Error performance of coded RPW outperforms coded Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation used in LoRa under multipath conditions by 51%, demonstrating superior adaptability and robustness under dynamic channel conditions. These findings provide valuable insights into the ongoing developments in wireless communication systems whilst reporting Q-RPW model as a new and effective method to address the needs of developing LPWAN and IoT ecosystems.