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Many applications have adopted chips using LoRa technology, but have not utilized the LoRaWAN network protocol. Some of these are due to a low number of application points or a small scale, making the cost of using LoRaWAN networks high. Others find the technical threshold of LoRaWAN to be too high to master in the short term, and thus settle for alternatives. However, as the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand and applications become more widespread, the use of LoRaWAN will become an inevitable trend.
LoRa is a physical layer transmission technology characterized by long range and low power consumption, but relatively low speed. The corresponding product for LoRa is the transceiver chip, such as Semtech’s SX1278. Using this technology and product means that you define your own business bit input or output, with all protocols and services above the physical layer being defined by you.
LoRaWAN is a set of protocol standards primarily based on the MAC layer, built on the foundation of LoRa physical layer transmission technology. With this standard, LoRaWAN becomes a network technology. The products corresponding to this technology include LoRaWAN nodes, LoRaWAN gateways, and the LoRaWAN protocol and data cloud platform. When using LoRaWAN network products, there are two user interfaces: one is a data interface between the lower-level sensors and LoRaWAN nodes, through which sensor data is transmitted to the network; the other is a data interface between the LoRaWAN protocol and data cloud platform and the user’s application that transmits network data to the application.
LoRaWAN provides features such as multi-channel access, frequency switching, adaptive rate, channel management, timed transmission and reception, node access authentication, data encryption, and roaming. In addition to retaining the advantages of long transmission distance and low power consumption at the physical layer, it has the following advantages over the transmission method that only uses the LoRa physical layer:
1. Compatibility. Different sensors from different manufacturers can connect to the same LoRaWAN network, and the interface at the LoRaWAN protocol and data cloud platform end is standardized. For application developers, there is no need to customize development for all sensors, shortening the R&D cycle and reducing development costs, enabling rapid delivery.
2. Large network capacity. Through multi-channel access, frequency switching, and adaptive rate, the LoRaWAN network has a larger data capacity compared to point-to-point or point-to-multipoint applications based on the LoRa physical layer, allowing more nodes to connect and providing strong scalability. This is advantageous for application developers to develop larger-scale applications and continuously upgrade applications.
3. Good security. The LoRaWAN network is designed with security mechanisms such as node access authentication and data encryption. These mechanisms have been reviewed by industry experts and validated through various applications from global technology companies, providing significantly higher security than temporary protocols developed by application developers. This ensures ongoing security for applications.
4. Continuous feature expansion and upgrades. With the evolution of LoRaWAN network standards, features such as positioning, roaming, broadcasting, and multicasting can be continuously added. This is equivalent to continuously benefiting from a public technology platform.
Source: Qualcomm China
Source:Low Power Wide Area Network Review
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