Design and Implementation of a Decentralized LoRa-Based Emergency Communication System Using ESP32 for Disaster Management
Design and Implementation of a Decentralized LoRa-Based Emergency Communication System Using ESP32 for Disaster Management
Siddhivinayak V. Gaikwad1, Kiran A. Ainwad2, Omkar M. Khatal3, Prof. M. N. Kadam4
1,2,3Students, 4Assistant Professor Department of Electronics and Telecommunication SVPM’S College of Engineering, Baramati, India
Savitribai Phule Pune University
gaikwadsiddhivinayak@gmail.com1, ainwadkiran966@gmail.com2, khatalomkar2004@gmail.com3, mnkadam@engg.svpm.org.in4
Abstract—Catastrophic natural events such as earthquakes, flash floods, and landslides inflict not only physical destruction but also a collapse of the very communication networks that rescue teams and affected communities depend upon most. When cellular towers collapse, power grids fail, and fiber links are severed, survivors are left in an information blackout precisely when coordinated response is most critical. This paper presents the engineering design and real-world validation of a fully au- tonomous, infrastructure-independent emergency communication platform built on Long Range (LoRa) radio technology paired with Heltec ESP32 microcontrollers. The system operates as a self-organizing peer-to-peer mesh network in which each node simultaneously acts as a transmitter, receiver, and relay-enabling disaster survivors and first responders to exchange GPS-tagged alert packets over multi-kilometer distances without any pre- existing network infrastructure. Each node integrates a water- level sensor for flood detection, a vibration/seismic sensor for earthquake awareness, and a soil-moisture and rainfall sensor for landslide risk assessment, alongside a NEO-6M GPS module for precise geolocation. Packets are assembled into a structured 48-byte frame and transmitted using Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation at 433 MHz. Field trials across open agricultural land, semi-urban zones, dense urban corridors, reinforced-concrete interiors, and a two-hop relay configuration demonstrated a maximum single-hop range of 2.5 km and an extended relay range of 4.6 km, with Packet Delivery Rates (PDR) consistently above 78% even in the most challenging environments. The entire hardware cost per node is below USD 25, making the platform accessible for pre-positioning across flood plains, seismically active zones, and landslide-prone hillsides throughout developing regions.
Index Terms—LoRa, ESP32, Disaster Management, Flood Detection, Earthquake Communication, Landslide Monitoring, Decentralized Mesh Network, LPWAN, GPS, Packet Delivery Rate, Chirp Spread Spectrum.