What is LoRaWAN
by Nagesh J, Head of R&D
Widely also known as LPWAN( Low Power Wide Area Network), in simple words we can say that it is networks of things which operate on low power and wide area. It’s big question covering wide area with low power ! Guessing battery life : )Yes that’s the beauty of LoRaWAN we will discuss how is that possible, Let’s dig into the basics first.
LoRa - Long Range
WAN - Wide Area Network
What is LoRaWAN ?
LoRa is a proprietary low-power wide-area network modulation technique. It is based on spread spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum technology. It was developed by Cycleo of Grenoble, France and acquired by Semtech, the founding member of the LoRa Alliance and it is patented.LoRaWAN Network Worldwide
Architecture
End Nodes
End Nodes are actual Sensors with SoC powered on batteries expected to last years. They does job of data acquisition with actuation possible. Wirelessly connected to Gateway.Operates on Single channel
Examples. Pet Tracking, Smoke Alarm , Water Meter , Vending Machine , Trash Container …...
Gateways
Gateways are the ones connected to Internet, deals with sending and receiving packets from Nodes to Internet. Utilises 3G/4G network or Connected over TCP/IP to Internet. They are connected to multiple End Nodes.
Network Server
The LoRaWAN Network Server is at the core of every LoRaWAN Network that enables connectivity, management, and monitoring of devices, gateways and end-user applications. Its main objectives are to ensure the security, scalability and reliability of data routing throughout the network.
Application Server
The Application Server handles the LoRaWAN application layer, including uplink data decryption and decoding, downlink queuing and downlink data encoding and encryption. It hosts an MQTT server for streaming application data, supports HTTP webhooks as well as pub/sub integrations.
How It manages with Low Power and Wide Area ?
Bandwidth is directly proportional to Power, as we see typical wireless technologies they have their own use cases, but are range is very short. Reason is they are meant to offer higher throughput. But in case of LoRaWAN it operates on Lower Bandwidth , it opens up doors to Long Range with Low Power !
Here are some Operating Parameters for LoRaWAN|
Frequencies
License-free sub_GHz radio frequency bands depending on the locations
EU - 863 to 870 MHz, 433 to 434 MHz
China - 779 to 787 MHz
US - 902 to 928 MHz
IN - 865 to 867 MHz
Data Rates
Data rates are dependent on Distance to Gateway , the link power budget , interference , Spreading factor. Data rate upto 300 Bps is possible.
Reach Delighteck with your requirements to know more about Battery Life :