Modeling and Link Budget Feasibility Analysis of Secure LoRa-Based Peer-to-Peer Communication for Short-Range Tactical Networks

TL;DR

This paper proposes a miniature, secure LoRa-based communication device for short-range tactical networks, combining encryption, low power consumption, and reliable long-range connectivity suitable for wearable applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design and theoretical analysis of a lightweight, encrypted LoRa communication system tailored for secure, short-range tactical and disaster response scenarios.

Findings

Achieves 1-1.5 km communication range under line-of-sight conditions.

Demonstrates low power consumption suitable for wearable devices.

Validates communication range through link-budget analysis.

Abstract

Short-range reliable and secure communication is a major priority in the tactical, military and disaster response settings where the traditional communication infrastructure is either off-line or prone to interception. Current VHF/UHF radios and software-defined radios are popular but large-sized devices and require lots of power, making them not suitable to be used as lightweight wearable devices with seamless hand-free use. In this paper, the design and theoretical framework of a miniature, LoRa based encrypted intercommunication device that can be used in secure field communication over a range of 1-1.5km and under line-of-sight conditions is provided. The suggested system consists of a voice-activated acquisition block, digital audio compression, an embedded microcontroller processor, and AES-128 encryption followed by a low-power transmission via the LoRa protocol. Through the ability of chirp spread spectrum modulation to utilize the long-range and low-energy properties, the system is guaranteed reliable communications coupled with low power consumption and low electromagnetic footprint. The theoretical analysis of the proposed communication range is justified using a link-budget that justifies the practicability of the communication range in the real propagation conditions. This architecture focuses on infrastructural agnosticism, peer-to-peer security as well as wearable ergonomics. The given scheme shows the possibilities of LoRa technology in the scope of other traditional IoT telemetry, and it can be further extended to include secure tactical voice communication platforms.