Cost-Effective Distributed IoT Sensing Architecture Using LoRa P2P and LoRaWAN with Custom Gateways and Cloud Integration

Student: Eriberto Salgado

Faculty Mentor: Farid Farahmand

Engineering

College of Science, Technology, and Business

This project presents a low-cost, low-power distributed sensing architecture using LoRa peer-to-peer (P2P) and LoRaWAN (OTAA) communication, developed with RAK 3172/3272S breakout boards. The system addresses the challenge of deploying scalable IoT networks in remote or infrastructure-limited regions.
For the LoRa P2P setup, we designed a lightweight client-server model where sensor nodes transmit data to an ESP8266-based gateway. This gateway connects to a PHP web server and a MySQL database for real-time data storage and visualization, eliminating the need for commercial LoRa gateways. A repeater node was added to extend communication range and improve data reliability across larger areas. In parallel, we implemented a LoRaWAN solution with The Things Network (TTN), featuring secure over-the-air activation (OTAA), payload decoding, and Python-based cloud data extraction. Both systems enable flexible, field-ready deployments by leveraging open-source tools and off-the-shelf components. Our dual-approach architecture demonstrates a resilient, modular sensing framework suitable for applications such as environmental monitoring, infrastructure health tracking, and smart agriculture. The results emphasize the value of integrating edge-to-cloud communication strategies in creating accessible and adaptable IoT solutions.