The need
In many rural areas, in isolated industrial sites or in factories with metal structures that shield signals, the lack of reliable connectivity prevents sensors, machinery and monitoring systems from exchanging data in real time. Without a widespread network—and with the prohibitive costs of fiber or dedicated cellular coverage—crucial functions such as predictive maintenance, precision irrigation and environmental control remain inaccessible. The need is therefore to bridge this “digital divide” of the last mile: very long-range, very low-consumption and low-cost communications are needed, capable of connecting heterogeneous devices even in the absence of traditional infrastructures.
The project
The SMART-LoRa — Scalable Multi-hop Advanced Radio Technologies with LoRa project was born to answer the challenge of last mile connectivity, offering a multi-hop LoRa network interoperable with other LPWAN technologies, equipped with edge computing and GNSS-free localization, thus finally enabling advanced IoT applications in difficult rural and industrial contexts.
The project integrates in a single open-source hardware and software platform:
- a multi-hop Device-to-Device LoRa network that extends radio range, reduces latency and maintains ultra-low power consumption;
- an interoperability middleware capable of orchestrating multiple LPWAN technologies (LoRa, Sigfox, NB-IoT), so that heterogeneous sensors can communicate without barriers;
- non-GNSS localization (RSSI, TDOA) to track assets and machinery even where GPS does not reach;
- Docker-based virtualization and edge computing that bring processing closer to the fields and production lines, ensuring real-time analytics and network resilience.
Thanks to these technological blocks, SMART-LoRa enables:
- Precision Smart Farming — distributed sensors monitor soil, micro-climate and irrigation, with data sent in a multi-hop chain to the nearest gateway;
- Industrial IoT — Plants and machines communicate with each other for predictive maintenance, even in shielded warehouses or remote areas.
The result will be a scalable, sustainable and low-cost solution, ready to support the digital transition and the competitiveness of SMEs and agricultural companies, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.
Project funded by the PNRR – Mission 4 “Education and Research”, Component 2, Investment 1.5 “Innovation Ecosystems” – Tech4You Ecosystem, Spoke 6 – University of Calabria.
