Home // International Journal On Advances in Networks and Services, volume 13, numbers 3 and 4, 2020 // View article

Near-Ground IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Coverage Design for Precision Agriculture

Authors:
Marta Botella-Campos
José Miguel Jiménez
Sandra Sendra
Jaime Lloret

Keywords: Wireless Coverage; IEEE 802.11; Precision agriculture; Propagation Losses; Propagation Model

Abstract:
Due to the broad range of options that wireless systems offer; Wi-Fi products are increasingly being used in agriculture environments to improve farming practices and better control the output of the production. However, the foliage has proven to harm radio-frequency propagation as well as decreasing the coverage area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Therefore, near-ground channel characterization can help in avoiding high antennas and vegetation. Nevertheless, theoretical models tend to fail forecasting near-ground path losses. A comprehensive analysis of the influence of rural environments can help obtain better near-ground WSN performance and coverage in precision agriculture. Hence, this paper aims at determining how field components such as, soil, grass, and trunks affect radio-links in near-ground scenarios. To do this, we measure the Received Signal Strength (RSSI), the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) and the Round-Trip Time (RTT) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) at different distances and compare the results with 6 prediction models: the Free-Space Propagation Model, the Two-Ray Ground Reflection Model, the One-Slope Log-Normal Model, the Two-Slope Log-Normal Model, the Okumura-Hata Model, and the Walfisch-Ikegami Model. The experiment was carried out by collecting experimental data at four different locations, i.e., an orange tree plantation with mature trees, an orange tree plantation with young trees, a persimmon field, and a field without vegetation, to compare and contrast the influence of field components on signal losses.

Pages: 94 to 107

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2020. Used with permission.

Publication date: December 30, 2020

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2644