Weather Visibility Sensor Network: Platform Characterization.

This paper presents the performance characterization of an Internet of things (IoT) based sub-GHz radio platform to be utilized as a sensor node in a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). A CC1312Rx series microcontroller is the heart of each sensor node; it is battery powered and recharged by a small solar array affixed to each unit. The implemented sensor network will operate to transmit images from an in-unit electro-optical camera to a base station to perform machine learning assisted estimation of node localized atmospheric visibility. The main design characteristics of the proposed system are long range transmission capability and long term independent battery operation, while remaining low cost and easy to deploy. As such, this paper will focus on the performance characteristics of the individual sensor node platform in regards to transmission signal strength. This is analyzed from the measured Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) in real world conditions. To validate the utilized radio subsystem long range capabilities, the measured data is compared against computer simulated data using a third party radio frequency (RF) software suite.