Tool support for LoRaWAN development: a comparative perspective on simulation and emulation

Abstract

This paper explores the use of various long range wireless area network (LoRaWAN) simulation and emulation tools when designing and evaluating IoT networks. Simulation tools are often popular with researchers because they are less costly and can easily simulate large-scale networks, allowing for easy and faster tests of the scalability of various protocols and behaviors. However, they often lack the unpredictable nature of real deployments. Emulation and cloud-based tools fill this gap, but with their flexibility they provide a more realistic approximation of real-world performance and allow easier interfacing with actual network hardware infrastructure, although they generally incur a higher cost which is often controlled by technical skill level use.