# Performance Evaluation of LoRa Considering Scenario Conditions
## 5 Results and Discussion
### Experimental Results  
After evaluating the studied scenarios from a theoretical perspective, in the following, the results obtained in our realistic sampling campaign are shown. Thereby, Figures 8-10 depict the coverage range attained in each of the mentioned scenarios for the two extreme DR configurations, i.e., DR0  
Figure 6: Theoretical coverage map by considering the Okumura–Hata propagation model. Suburban scenario. Figure 7: Theoretical coverage map by considering the Okumura–Hata propagation model. Rural scenario. (SF = 12) and DR5 (SF = 7). In these RSSI heat maps, the possible different values for CR and packet length parameters are not distinguished; a discussion about the impact of these factors will be provided later on. First, observe the notable difference among the maximum link distances achieved in the three scenarios under consideration. Figure 8: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) heat map in the urban scenario. (**a**) DR0; and (**b**) DR5. Figure 10: _Cont._  
Figure 9: RSSI heat map in the suburban scenario. (**a**) DR0; and (**b**) DR5. Whereas the maximum reached range is 6.5 km in urban conditions (DR0, Figure 8a), in the rural scenario, the furthest point with connectivity was attained at 18.5 km (DR0, Figure 10a). As expected, in between these results, the maximum range reached in the suburban scenario is 6.7 km (DR0, Figure 9a). Focusing on each individual scenario, note the impact of employing different DRs on the transmission range. For example, in the urban scenario, using a low DR (DR0) leads to an increase of the coverage of 132% (Figure 8a vs. Figure 8b). Note that in this scenario with DR5 (Figure 8b), there are longer transmissions that have not been taken as valid, as we consider them as lucky transmissions (please, observe the amount of lost transmission surrounding them). Table 4 presents the complete set of results regarding the longest link established in the three environments under study and considering the six different DR configurations. The obtained behavior is, as expected, that a higher DR leads to shorter covered distances. Some irregularities in this behavior, e.g., in the suburban scenario, are justified by the random presence of obstacles and the impact of vehicle mobility. Regarding the validation of the theoretical study presented in the previous Section, observe that the distance covered by the base-station in each of the three environments under study is highly similar to that estimated by the radio planning tool. Particularly, the experimental results considering the lowest data-rate (DR0) closely match with the coverage areas presented previously. Please compare Figures 5 and 8a, Figures 6 and 9a, and Figures 7 and 10a. In the light of these results, the consistency of both studies seems to be demonstrated, although the theoretical maps predict a slightly higher transmission range. This may be motivated by some deviations on the real sensitivity of the receivers or by the impact of small-scale obstacles that were not considered by the radio planning tool. With regard to the influence of LoRaWAN PHY layer settings on the system performance, in addition to the DR, the CR and payload length parameters were also examined during the experiments. Therefore, Figure 11 presents the level of PDR attained for the three studied scenarios when tuning both parameters. Note that, in order to elaborate these graphs, we have delimited the considered outcomes to those attained within a maximum range of 5 km from the base station. This facilitates result comparison by avoiding the bias introduced by excessively long transmissions that may artificially increment the level of packet loss in certain scenarios. Please, note that the longest range achieved in each scenario by each DR configuration is presented in Table 4. Focusing on the impact of the CR (Figure 11a,c,e), note that by adding extra redundant information in the LoRaWAN header (CR = 4/8), a noticeable improvement on the link reliability is obtained in most scenarios.