LoRaWAN®

LoRa is a popular new standard for connecting wireless sensors with very long range and long battery life. The name LoRa is a shortened version of “Long Range” and uses a proprietary modulation scheme called chirp spread spectrum developed by Semtech. This modulation scheme enables excellent link margins and is thus able to communicate over long distances and through noisy environments. Much like other LPWAN technologies such as Sigfox, LoRa is typically run at lower data rates which further increases link margin.

LoRaWAN is the protocol that runs “on top of” the LoRa modulation which manages the network connectivity. In other words, LoRa can be thought of as the PHY layer and LoRaWAN is the link layer. The LoRa sensors from Radio Bridge, a MultiTech brand, all run with the LoRaWAN protocol and are compatible with industry standard LoRaWAN gateways.

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a wireless protocol designed for low-power, wide-area networks (LPWAN) that enables long-range communication with low power consumption. LoRaWAN is based on LoRa (Long Range) modulation technology, which enables communication over distances of several kilometers in rural or suburban areas with low power consumption.

LoRaWAN operates in unlicensed frequency bands, making it accessible to anyone, and is suitable for a wide range of IoT (Internet of Things) applications such as smart cities, agriculture, environmental monitoring, asset tracking, and more.

LoRaWAN uses a star topology, where end devices communicate directly with a central gateway or base station. The gateway then relays the data to a network server, which can process and analyze the data, and send commands back to the end devices.

One of the key features of LoRaWAN is its ability to support various classes of devices, depending on their power requirements and communication needs. Class A devices are the most common and operate on a strict bi-directional communication schedule, where the device listens for incoming data only after it has sent a transmission. Class B devices add an additional reception window at predetermined times to enable scheduled downlink communication from the gateway. Class C devices operate with the lowest power consumption and have the most flexible bi-directional communication schedule.

LoRaWAN is an open standard, managed by the LoRa Alliance, which is a non-profit organization that promotes and develops the technology. There are many LoRaWAN-compatible devices and solutions available from a variety of vendors, making it a popular choice for IoT applications.

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a wireless communication technology designed for low-power, long-range communication between devices in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Here’s a simplified explanation of how LoRaWAN works:

Physical Layer (LoRa):
LoRa (short for Long Range) is the modulation technique used in LoRaWAN. It allows for long-range communication (up to several kilometers) and is well-suited for low-power devices.

LoRa uses spread spectrum modulation, which enables multiple devices to communicate simultaneously without interfering with each other.

Network Architecture:
LoRaWAN operates in a star-of-stars topology, where end devices (nodes or sensors) communicate with one or more gateways. Gateways act as intermediaries between end devices and a central network server.

End Devices:
End devices are typically low-power sensors or actuators that collect or transmit data.
They are designed to operate with minimal power consumption to maximize battery life.

Gateways:
Gateways receive signals from end devices and forward them to the central network server. They also transmit signals from the server to the respective end devices.
Gateways are connected to the internet, either through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks, allowing them to relay data to and from the central server.

LoRaWAN Classes:
LoRaWAN supports different device classes, each with different power consumption and communication characteristics:
Class A: Devices that have the lowest power consumption but have the least flexibility in terms of communication timing.
Class B: Devices with scheduled receive slots, providing a balance between power consumption and flexibility.
Class C: Devices with continuously open receive windows, allowing for the most flexibility but with higher power consumption.

Central Network Server:
The central network server manages the network, handling tasks such as device authentication, encryption, and managing the communication parameters.

It receives data from end devices, processes it, and may forward it to application servers or other systems.

Communication Process:
End devices periodically send small packets of data to the nearest gateway.
The gateway receives the packets and forwards them to the central network server.
The central network server processes the data, possibly sending commands back to the end devices.
The server may also forward the data to an application server or database for further processing.

Security:
LoRaWAN incorporates security features such as encryption and device authentication to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data.
Overall, LoRaWAN is designed for low-power, long-range communication, making it suitable for IoT applications where devices need to communicate over considerable distances while conserving energy.

Before companies can understand the concept of LoRaWAN sensors, they must first learn about IoT sensors. IoT sensors are wireless devices that gather sensory information from their surroundings and detect irregular changes in the environment, such as temperature, movement, air quality, and lighting. These monitoring devices are designed to interact with central hubs, gateways, and servers through nodes organized to support the user’s individualized network goals.

LoRaWAN sensors are IoT devices created to function on LoRaWAN networks. These networks are particularly useful for wireless sensors due to their ability to transfer data across long distances. They also have high-performing link margins that reach signals below the radio frequency (RF) noise floor. Both of these features allow LoRaWAN to make network connections more attainable for IoT sensors, especially in remote areas without public access.

There are a number of traditional wireless sensor protocols that enable connectivity between the sensors and these to gateway: –Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Z-Wave are some examples of this. In recent years, with the development of LPWANs, standards have started to shift to better accommodate the ever-growing number of connected devices being used in commercial settings.

LoRaWAN® is benefitted by its long range, deep penetration, and extended battery life. LoRaWAN standards are maintained by the LoRa Alliance, an open, non-profit association dedicated to promoting and supporting their global adoption.

The ability for these sensors to provide ultra long range communications to industry standard gateways is one of their biggest benefits. For example, MultiTech offers LoRaWAN IoT sensors as part of their Radio Bridge family of products including:, which includes:

• Wireless temperature sensors designed to accurately detect ambient air temperatures both indoors and out
• Wireless proximity sensors that provide high accuracy proximity detection with open architecture for flexible integration
• Wireless push button sensors that can be used as wearables, remote controls, or for emergency response and other button-push applications
• Wireless movement sensors that use ultra-sensitive internal accelerometers to detect movement or utilization of critical assets and react accordingly
• Wireless leak detection sensors that use probes to detect the presence of water and alert the network to divert potential catastrophe
• Wireless industrial sensors designed for industrial standards such as 4-20mA current loops, digital inputs, vibration and beyond

A long-range radio (LoRa) sensor is a method of transmitting data for the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) devices through the cloud. LoRa sensors have a wide range of compatibilities, allowing you to connect them with various machines, devices and even animals and people. These sensors often connect with Smart devices, like smoke alarms and vending machines, to help monitor devices.

Because LoRa devices can cover long distances, they require less infrastructure to use, allowing them to be inexpensive and easy to implement into your network. Further, you can update their algorithms easily to lengthen battery life and network range, allowing you access to easy maintain of your LoRa devices.

LoRa sensors connect with gateways. This connection happens via LoRa technology, allowing the gateway and LoRa device to transmit information to each other.

After the gateway receives data, it connects with the cloud through an IP address, allowing your cloud storage to receive your information and store it in your specific database. Once safely stored in the cloud, the cloud sends your data to you via an API connection, where you can access it through a web service or frontend connection.

LPWAN stands for Low Power Wide Area Networks, and is a category of wireless standards that manage long-range connections to wireless devices. Unlike cellular networks, LPWAN is cost-effective and energy-efficient, making it ideal for applications that involve many low-power devices, such as irrigation systems and smart lighting.

LoRaWAN is a type of LPWAN that limits network interference and maintains low battery demand. Due to its many advantages, LoRaWAN is considered one of the best specifications among LPWAN standards.

LoRaWAN IoT sensors low power consumption and long range transmit capabilities allow them to be used in a broad range of applications.

Here are some common use cases:

• Smart buildings. Modern offices, retail spaces, and factories can all benefit from smart building technology, including: temperature and humidity monitoring of critical rooms or assets, water leak detection to minimize leaking water or flood damage, motion detection to track utilization of high cost assets and more.
• Server room maintenance. Leak detection sensors can communicate automatically over wireless networks to notify IT managers when a leak is found in their liquid cooled server room, saving both precious data and precious dollars. Temperature sensing can ensure that critical IT equipment stays within its recommended operating ranges.
• Drug management. Readmission rates can be reduced and health outcomes improved via smart drug management and medication tracking using IoT sensors. Automated temperature monitoring of stored medications may improve medicine safety, effectiveness and compliance.
• Emergency response. Wireless push button sensors can be used in healthcare settings to allow nurses and caregivers to be alerted and respond to emergency patient needs in real time.
• Wind monitoring and control. Being able to monitor wind and solar energy generation in real time can prevent downtime and disruption, reducing risk and cost.
• Supply chain management. The right network solutions can help with shipment verification, remote monitoring of product storage, and the efficiency of logistical operations. That in turn leads to fewer shipping delays, less product loss, and happier customers.
• The benefits of using LoRaWAN IoT sensors are vast and unique to each industry they serve. All business applications of this technology lead to improved response time, improved compliance, decreased network downtime, performance data gathering, and ultimately–cost savings.

Check out MultiTech’s wireless LoRaWAN Sensor catalog for a closer look at this efficiency-boosting technology.

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a low-power, long-range wireless protocol that is designed for IoT applications in which devices are spread over large areas. Here are some of the benefits of LoRaWAN:

1. Long-range coverage: LoRaWAN can transmit data over several kilometers, making it ideal for applications in which devices are spread out over a large area.
2. Low power consumption: LoRaWAN uses very little power, which means that devices can operate for long periods of time without needing to be recharged or replaced.
3. Low cost: LoRaWAN is a relatively low-cost solution, which makes it accessible to a wide range of users and applications.
4. Easy to deploy: LoRaWAN is easy to deploy and manage, which makes it an attractive solution for applications in which devices are difficult to access.
5. Secure: LoRaWAN uses AES encryption to ensure the security of transmitted data.

The history of LoRaWAN dates back to 2011, when it was first developed by Cycleo, a French semiconductor company. In 2012, Cycleo was acquired by Semtech, a US-based semiconductor company, which continued to develop and promote the technology. In 2015, the LoRa Alliance was formed, with the goal of promoting and standardizing the use of LoRaWAN technology. Today, the LoRa Alliance has over 500 members and is one of the largest IoT alliances in the world. LoRaWAN is used in a wide range of applications, including smart cities, agriculture, and industrial IoT.

A LoRaWAN gateway is a box that connects wireless LoRaWAN end devices such as sensors to the Internet or a local network. This is similar to the way a WiFi router connects WiFi devices to the Internet. Gateways are typically deployed by the end user or solution provider, and often in remote areas that do not have other types of coverage.

2.4GHz protocols such as WiFi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth are generally poor choices for wireless sensors for a number of reasons. First, protocols that run in the 2.4GHz spectrum have very poor range and propagation through objects such as walls and floors. One might note that they commonly have trouble getting a WiFi connection on the second floor of their house when the WiFi router is in the basement and there is any type of obstruction in the way. Home automation systems utilizing protocols such as Zigbee will often find that they have trouble connecting to the very next room. LoRa devices, on the other hand, can reach distances of many miles in open-air environments and perform very well through obstructions such as buildings or equipment.

Second, the 2.4GHz spectrum is very “noisy” meaning that there are 2.4GHz devices all around us competing for air time which affects link quality. LoRa runs at 915MHz in the US and thus does not have interference with local WiFi and most other wireless devices.

Third, security and key management are unreliable with protocols such as WiFi. For example, if someone changes the password on a WiFi router, all WiFi devices will likewise need to be updated. How though, does the password get updated on small battery-powered devices that have no user interface? Common WiFi devices such as smartphones, TVs, laptops, etc. have displays and allow you to easily change the password, but for very simple battery-powered sensors, this is not the case.

LoRaWAN, on the other hand, provisions and secures devices differently. Instead of a single password defined at the network server, the key originates at the sensor itself and has a unique value that can be provisioned at the network server, often in the cloud. All Radio Bridge sensors have unique ID/Key pairs that allow for efficient provisioning and management of security.

Fourth, battery consumption for devices such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and cellular devices is relatively high. Not only is the transmit power high, but the devices must maintain regular communication to a gateway or base station to maintain their connected status. LoRaWAN devices, on the other hand, can enter a deep sleep mode and only wake up to transmit when necessary to communicate a new event. This allows for very long battery life on the order of 5-10 years in most applications.

LoRaWAN does not require monthly data fees as would be required with a cellular device. A private LoRaWAN gateway can be purchased and deployed on a private network. That said, managed network servers requiring monthly data plans can provide a lot of value to small organizations that do not wish to reinvent the wheel and get to market quickly. For example, the machineQ LoRaWAN network service from Comcast provides a high quality, managed network server that is ready to go for new deployments.

The web-based device management console from Radio Bridge provides additional value with the automatic provisioning, monitoring, and configuration of LoRaWAN sensors in the field. For large organizations with over 10,000 to 50,000 deployed devices, it may make sense to develop all of these systems from scratch. For smaller deployments under 10,000 or so units, there is generally a better return on investment to utilize these managed services and get to market quickly.

LoRaWAN sensors come with numerous benefits. When commercial and industrial businesses use LoRaWAN for IoT applications, they can experience everything from cost and energy savings to convenience on the job site. Some of the many advantages of LoRaWAN sensors include:

• A wide coverage range. As the name suggests, LoRaWAN technologies extend across broad coverage ranges, with operators stationed in over 100 countries. Typically, this specification connects devices up to 30 miles apart in rural areas and even reaches less-accessible environments such as dense urban locations and indoor spaces.
• Long-lasting battery life. The LoRaWAN specification consumes less power than most networks, meaning LoRaWAN sensors maintain remarkably long battery life compared to other IoT devices. LoRaWAN supports extended battery life for years before users are required to recharge or replace the battery.
• Unlicensed frequency bands. Because LoRaWAN systems use unlicensed frequencies to operate, no licensing fees are necessary as you would have in, say, a licensed cellular band.
• Low bandwidth. LoRaWAN networks operate with very low bandwidth, making them ideal for IoT technologies with low data rates.
• LoRaWAN systems are user-friendly, with fast and simple setup capabilities.
• Easy deployment. Systems that use LoRaWAN comprise a relatively simple architecture, which means they are easy to deploy.
• Cost-effective. Because the LoRaWAN specification offers lower connectivity, operating, and battery replacement costs than other specifications, it provides better overall cost savings.

MultiTech’s us manufactured high quality LoRa sensor solutions that help companies minimize costs and maximize efficiency on the job site.

As the leading LoRaWAN sensor manufacturer in North America, we’re dedicated to designing and manufacturing devices that are built to last. Our products are optimized to suit practically any industry, from building security to medical and industrial automation.