A Self-Powered and LoRa-Based Fleet Tracker: Demonstrating Improved Reliability in the IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a wireless network of devices that exchange data in pursuit of common objectives. Historically, these devices have been battery-powered and have communicated through WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular networks. However, traditional IoT devices face key challenges, such as the heavy maintenance burden of primary cell batteries and poor network infrastructures common to rural areas. A new field, called the self-powered IoT, has developed techniques to combat these issues. Solar energy harvesting and LoRa (long range) modulation are among the self-powered IoT methods that can surpass limitations in reliability for the traditional IoT. Energy harvesting reduces battery-related maintenance, and LoRa modulation enables wireless communications despite weak pre-existing network infrastructures. This paper describes the design and implementation of a distributed self-powered GPS tracking system, called the Fleet Tracker, that uniquely uses both of these techniques. Solar-powered devices mounted on moving vehicles acquire GPS data and relay it to a central processing device using LoRa communications. The system was implemented and tested with two roaming nodes and one central hub device. The Fleet Tracker is a proof-of-concept demonstrating that solar energy harvesting and LoRa modulation can together improve reliability in the IoT, placing it among self-powered IoT applications at the forefront of recent research and commercial products.