Using SmartMesh IP in Smart Agriculture and Smart Building applications

Abstract

We deploy two low-power wireless networks, one in a Smart Agriculture setting (a peach orchard), one in a Smart Building. Both networks use out-of-the-box SmartMesh IP technology to gather sensor values, as well as extensive network statistics. This article presents an in-depth analysis of the performance of both networks, and compares them. Nodes in both exhibit end-to-end reliability of 100%, with an expected lifetime between 4 and 8 years. We show how – contrary to popular belief – wireless links are symmetrical. Thanks to the use of Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH), the network topology is stable, with at most 15 link changes on average per day in the network. We conclude that TSCH as implemented by SmartMesh IP is a perfectly suitable IoT solution for Smart Agriculture and Smart Building applications.