# Performance Evaluation of LoRa Communications in Harsh Industrial Environments
## 7 Conclusions and Perspectives  
This article presents an evaluation, based on MATLAB simulations, of the performance of LoRa technology in terms of PER in an industrial environment. The industrial channel is modeled as a propagation channel affected by impulsive noise combined with additive white Gaussian noise. In the LOS scenario, received signals follow a statistical Rice distribution, while in the NLOS case they follow a Rayleigh distribution. LoRa technology performs well in terms of PER in an AWGN environment but suffers significant degradation in an industrial environment, particularly in the NLOS configuration for the MtO and OtM communication modes. LoRa performance is enhanced by using the using Forward error correction, and by applying filtering with IIR or FIR filters at reception. The SNR gain varies according to the coding rate used and the configuration studied. By using a 4/8 coding rate, LoRa's performance is greatly improved, and all packets are received completely without error from an SNR of \(-10\) dB and \(-1\) dB for spreading factors 12 and 7, respectively, with a 10 dB gain in both the LOS and NLOS scenarios for the OtM communication mode. For the MtO mode, all packets are received without error between \(-6\) and \(8\) for the same spreading factors and on the same channel. By using the IIR or FIR filter, performance is further improved, with an additional gain of 4 dB, particularly for the 4/5 coding rate in all the communication modes considered. In OtM mode, all packets are received correctly at \(-8\) dB and \(3\) dB for spreading factors 12 and 7, respectively. Similarly, for OtM mode, packet errors are eliminated between \(-2\) dB and \(12\) dB for the same spreading factors on the same channel. Although the addition of error correction and the application of IIR and FIR filters can significantly enhance the performance of LoRa technology in industrial environments, it is essential to approach this proposal with a balanced view. The use of these solutions could lead to increased complexity, resulting not only in greater resource use but also a potential increase in energy consumption. The efficiency of these filters, while optimal in specific scenarios, may not be universal in the face of the diversity of industrial disturbances. Moreover, the additional latency introduced by these methods could be a hindrance for certain real-time applications. Added to this is the possible increase in the size of transmitted packets, which may influence the useful throughput. Following on from our current research, several promising prospects are emerging. Firstly, it is essential to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the optimal choice between IIR and FIR filters for LoRa technology in specific applications. This investigation will not be limited to the selection of the filter type, but will also extend to the determination of the ideal coding rate, taking into account power consumption and resource constraints. Furthermore, in view of the challenges posed by communication in industrial environments, another promising direction would be to consider extending the \"Many-to-Many\" operating mode of LoRa technology. This mode, with its inherently flexible, collaborative and resilient nature, could revolutionize the efficiency, coordination and reliability of data exchanges in these environments. These perspectives are not only in line with our current work, but also highlight crucial steps towards exploiting the full potential of LoRa technology.  
Writing--original draft preparation L.A.; Validation-Supervision M.T.; Supervision H.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research work was funded by the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences EMSI Casablanca.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.