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Source:IoT Home (iothome.com)
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What is LoRaWAN? What does LoRaWAN stand for?
LoRaWAN stands for “Long Range Wide Area Network.” It is a communication protocol based on the LoRa technology. The LoRaWAN network architecture is deployed in a star topology, with its main elements being (1) battery-powered sensor devices (end nodes, “things”) that transmit to (2) one or more IP-connected LoRaWAN gateways, which forward the data to (3) a network server, making the data available for running defined IoT applications.
Is LoRaWAN free?
The LoRaWAN specification is an open standard, freely available to anyone without licensing fees or other costs associated with its use. There are open-source implementations of the LoRaWAN stack on both the device side and the cloud side. In this sense, LoRaWAN is free to use. Additionally, since LoRa typically operates in unlicensed gigahertz radio bands, this allows anyone to freely establish a basic LoRaWAN network.
What is the difference between LoRa and LoRaWAN?
LoRa is a long-range, low-power wireless communication technology. LoRaWAN is short for LoRa Wide Area Network, a communication protocol based on LoRa technology.
You can use LoRa technology without LoRaWAN, but functionality and performance will be limited. A protocol similar to LoRaWAN is needed to build large networks on top of LoRa.
In simple terms, LoRa is a physical layer transmission technology that allows you to exchange information between devices. LoRaWAN is a medium access control (MAC) protocol, primarily used as a network layer protocol, designed for device-to-infrastructure communication, managing the communication between LoRaWAN gateways and end node devices. It adds network, routing, uplink, and downlink scheduling to optimize battery usage, and most importantly, enhances security.
How does LoRaWAN work?
LoRaWAN defines and controls the behavior of devices in a large network. It optimizes various wireless parameters to achieve optimal network capacity and reliability.
Its main advantages are wide coverage (up to 50 kilometers in open areas, up to 10 kilometers in urban environments) and extremely low power consumption (battery life of up to 10 years). These two factors, combined with a simple network topology (star topology, where the gateway transmits messages between end devices and the LoRaWAN network server acting as the network center and core), make the deployment of LoRaWAN networks very simple, essentially “plug and play.”
Who created LoRaWAN?
As mentioned earlier, LoRaWAN uses LoRa.
LoRa is a spread spectrum modulation technology derived from linear frequency modulation (CSS), originally launched by a startup called Cycleo founded by several young individuals in France.
The creation of LoRaWAN began after Semtech acquired Cycleo for $5 million in March 2012. The first LoRaWAN specification was co-created by IBM, Semtech, and Actility.
Who owns LoRaWAN?
The LoRaWAN specification is developed and maintained by the LoRa Alliance, an open organization composed of collaborative members “dedicated to enabling large-scale deployment of low-power wide area network (LPWAN) IoT through the development and promotion of the LoRaWAN open standard.” (Source: IoT Home) Therefore, it can be said that LoRaWAN is co-owned by the collaborative members of the LoRa Alliance, which now has over 500 members worldwide.
Who is using LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN has gained widespread attention in all narrowband LPWA IoT use cases. It powers numerous nationwide networks globally, as well as a larger number of private networks, and has large community-operated networks. Private networks are operated by various industries such as logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, and services.
On one hand, some existing use cases that were using other technologies (like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) have transitioned to LoRaWAN to leverage its undeniable advantages (wide range, strong penetration, low power consumption, ease of installation, high capacity). On the other hand, LoRaWAN technology enables many new use cases and contributes to the global adoption of IoT.
How to use LoRaWAN?
In most countries, using LoRaWAN does not require any licensing.
You can start by purchasing ready-made LoRaWAN hardware (sensor devices and gateways) and connecting them to applications via a network server, as well as third-party data visualization software or IoT platforms.
Further Reading:
How the IoT Boom Will Affect the Deployment of Low-Power Wide Area Network Solutions
Low-Power Wide Area Network Technology Comparison 1: The Top Ten Standards for Successful Implementation
Choosing IoT Protocols: A Deep Dive into LoRa, Cat-M, and NB-IoT
IoT Home (www.iothome.com) is a leading IoT technology media platform dedicated to providing high-quality, objective IoT and related technology content, information, and news.We are not interested in hype and noise; we focus solely on the real commercial applications of IoT technology.We hope to hear the best case studies, see the best solutions from various-sized vendors (especially startups), and find out if we can overcome the current deployment barriers in IoT.We are a technology media that observes IoT across various industries.
