About LoRa and LoRaWAN
LoRaWAN is a low-power wireless network protocol and system architecture launched by the LoRa Alliance, supporting secure bidirectional communication for IoT devices and applications. The LoRaWAN protocol is based on an open industrial standard called “LoRa,” which is fully controlled and managed by the open non-profit organization, the LoRa Alliance. In a star-shaped LoRa network, communication from low-power, battery-operated LoRa devices is sent via LoRa gateways to network servers. The network server has interfaces to connect to IoT platforms and applications.
LoRa technology is a spread spectrum wireless modulation patented technology developed by the French company Cycleo, which was acquired by the American company Semtech in 2012. Semtech has strongly marketed this technology, including establishing the LoRa Alliance to promote participation from other companies, including some mobile operators, in the LoRa ecosystem. The difference between LoRa and LoRaWAN is that LoRa is a technology, while LoRaWAN is a set of standard specifications.
About the LoRa Alliance
The LoRa Alliance was established in February 2015 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, initiated by several manufacturers including Actility, Cisco, IBM, and Semtech. As of April 2017, it had over 400 members, including multinational telecom operators, device manufacturers, system integrators, sensor manufacturers, chip manufacturers, and innovative startups, spanning Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.
About LoRaWAN Certification
The LoRaWAN certification program provides assurance to end users that their specific application terminal devices will be able to operate on any LoRaWAN network. The scope of the certification program confirms that terminal devices meet the functional requirements of the LoRaWAN protocol specifications. The certification program includes a series of regional tests defined in the following documents:
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LoRa Alliance European EU 863-870MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document
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LoRa Alliance US + Canada US902-928MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document
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LoRa Alliance Asia AS 923MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document
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LoRa Alliance South Korea 920-923MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document
Device manufacturers must become members of the LoRa Alliance before submitting their products for LoRa Alliance certification. They must also use authorized and accredited LoRa Alliance certification laboratories for functional protocol testing. After successful completion of testing, the products will be listed in the certified product directory on the LoRa Alliance website and will receive a LoRa Alliance certificate. Additionally, products that successfully pass the alliance certification program can use the LoRa Alliance certification mark on their products and packaging in accordance with the LoRa Alliance logo usage policy and guidelines.
The list of all LoRaWAN certified devices can be viewed at the following URL:
https://www.lora-alliance.org/certified-products
Overview of the LoRaWAN Certification Process
Detailed descriptions of the LoRa Alliance certification process can be found in the “LoRa Alliance Certification Policies and Procedures” and “LoRa Alliance Process Description Certification for LoRaWAN Devices”.
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Contact a LoRa Alliance Authorized Testing Laboratory (ATH) for a quote
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Complete the certification questionnaire (available in the LoRa Alliance member area or from the ATH)
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Prepare the product for certification
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The product must meet the latest LoRaWAN specifications and regional parameter documents
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The product must meet the relevant regional LoRa Alliance end device certification requirements documents
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Send your product to the ATH; the device should be ready for OTA activation or already personalized
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The ATH will perform certification testing and submit the results to you and/or the alliance
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The LoRa Alliance will review the test results and issue the LoRa Alliance certificate
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The test results and basic product information will be published on the LoRa Alliance website
LoRaWAN Certification Document Resources
The following documents are publicly available to all LoRa Alliance members and can be found in the member/certification directory:
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LoRa Alliance Certification Policies and Procedures document
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LoRa Alliance European EU 863-870MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document V1.5
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LoRa Alliance US + Canada US902-928MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document V1.2
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LoRa Alliance Asia AS 923MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document V1.0
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LoRa Alliance South Korea 920-923MHz Region End Device Certification Requirements document V1.1
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LoRa Alliance Customer Questionnaire V2.0 document
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GitHub link to reference code https://github.com/Lora-net
LoRaWAN Product Certification Flowchart
LoRaWAN Authorized Testing Laboratories
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