Enabling real-time application streams in off-grid regions and mission critical applications through BRP, radios, and gateways with COTS components

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) applications require flexible and high-performance network solutions, but many IoT solutions can only support single-use case applications, which limits their performance and flexibility for real-time and streaming applications. LoRa offers a flexible physical layer but lacks the power needed in its link layer protocols to support real-time flows. The Beartooth Relay Protocol (BRP) expands the performance envelope of LoRa, making it suitable for a wide range of IoT applications, including those requiring real-time and streaming capabilities. However, the resource-limited nature of LoRa does not allow BRP to support self-healing mesh network capabilities or beyond two hops while maintaining real-time streams. To address the limitations of BRP in supporting mesh network capabilities and real- time streams beyond two hops, we move our focus to the development of the second- generation Beartooth Radios, MKII, and the first-generation Beartooth Gateways. We utilize Commercially-available Of Shelf Components (COTS) in the radios to provide a cost-effective, power-efficient, and compact solution for establishing real- time situational awareness. The self-healing mesh network provided with MKII and Gateways also enhances the reliability of the overall network, ensuring connectivity even in case of node failures. By incorporating military information brokers, such as the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK), the Beartooth Gateway establishes a hybrid network between Beartooth radios, gateways, and other TAK-capable devices, ensuring compatibility with existing IP networks. By combining Beartooth MKII radios, Gateways, and flexible link layer protocol elements in BRP, this research demonstrates a versatile and flexible solution that provides real-time application streams and critical situational awareness capabilities in mission-critical applications.