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What is LoRaWAN Technology?

If you are working with networked devices, you may have heard of LoRaWAN at one time or another. It is a long-range network protocol. It enables the networking of things with the Internet even over longer ranges with low energy consumption. This solves one of the big problems that applications within the Internet of Things have faced up to now. With a battery life of up to five years and low maintenance costs for the sensor network, the LoRaWAN can be used for a wide variety of new applications.

This gives you a brief overview of what the LoRaWAN can do. In this article, we look at the architecture, key features of core technology, and the latest use cases where it is used.

What is LoRaWAN Technology?

The great thing about this technology is that it is based on an open standard. It uses an unlicensed spectrum as part of the ISM frequency band (“Industrial, Scientific, and Medical”, German: Industry, Science and Medicine). In Europe, the LoRaWAN uses the 868 MHz frequency range, while in the USA the 915 MHz frequency band is released. By using the unlicensed spectrum, it is very easy to set up and use your own network. Many telecommunications operators are already using LoRaWAN and offer the technology as part of their service offering in numerous countries worldwide. Comcast, KPN, Orange, SK Telecom and many other providers are actively implementing large-scale launches in their markets. This makes LoRaWAN even more interesting as a technology because it is compatible with the networks of different operators – large and small.

The LoRaWAN standard is monitored by the LoRa Alliance, which in turn consists of over 500 members who support the protocol and align many of their components, products, and services with LoRaWAN. These include companies such as MOKOSMART, ARM, Cisco, Microchip, and ST.

What distinguishes LoRa from LoRaWAN?

Let’s start with the definition of LoRa – what is it exactly and how is it different from LoRaWAN? LoRa is a wireless technology similar to more common technologies such as Wi-Fi or WLAN, Bluetooth, LTE, and Zigbee. However, technology often does not cover all requirements, which means that users have to accept compromises. LoRa meets the demand for low-cost, battery-operated devices that can transmit data over long ranges. However, LoRa is not the right solution for the transmission of data over large bandwidths. LoRa is a technology that converts data to be transmitted into electromagnetic waves. This technique is also known as the chirped spread spectrum，it has been used in military and space communications for decades. It is due to the long communication range and the low susceptibility to interference.

LoRaWAN, on the other hand, is the MAC protocol for the network of high-performance LoRa nodes based on the Internet of Things, which cover long ranges and have low energy requirements. It uses the advantages of Lora described above and optimizes battery life and service quality for the LoRa nodes. The protocol is completely bidirectional, which ensures reliable message transmission (confirmation). End-to-end encryption is provided for security and data protection purposes, over-the-air registration of endnotes and multicast functions. The standard also ensures compatibility with LoRaWAN networks around the world.

LoRaWAN architecture mainly consists of four elements:

• End nodes

• Gateway (base stations/router)

• Network Server

• Application serverEnd nodes

End nodes are physical hardware devices that are equipped with sensor functions, a certain amount of computing power and a radio module for translating the data into a radio signal. These end devices can transmit data to the gateway and also receive it. Even with a small battery, they can last several years if they are put into deep sleep mode to optimize energy consumption.

When a device sends a message to the gateway, this is known as an “uplink”. The answer that the terminal receives from the gateway is called “downlink”. On this basis, a distinction is made between three types of end devices:

• Class A

• Class B

• Class C

Class A devices have the lowest energy consumption compared to the other two classes. However, these can only receive a downlink if they have sent an uplink. Class A devices are suitable for the transmission of data at time-based intervals (e.g. every 15 minutes) or for devices that send data based on events (e.g. if the temperature rises above 21 degrees or falls below 19 degrees).

Class B end nodes allow more message slots for downlinks than class A. This reduces message latency but is also less energy efficient.

Finally, class C has an ongoing receive window that is only closed when the device sends an uplink message. Therefore, this is the least energy-efficient variant, which often requires a constant current source to operate.

Gateways

Gateways are also known as modems or access points. A gateway is also a hardware device that receives all LoRaWAN messages from end devices. These messages are then converted into an array of bits that can be transmitted over conventional IP networks. The gateway is linked to the network server that transmits all messages.

Gateways are transparent and have limited computing power. More complex tasks are carried out in the network server. Depending on usage and type, gateways are available in two versions:

Gateways for indoor use, e.g. MKGW2-LW, MOKOSMART.

Network Server

All messages from the gateways are forwarded to the network server. This is where the more complicated data processing processes take place. The network server is responsible for:

1. Routing/forwarding messages to the right application;

2. The selection of the best gateway for downlink messages. This decision is usually made on the basis of a link quality indicator, which in turn is calculated via the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) and the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of packets that were previously  received;

3. Removing duplicate messages when received by multiple gateways;

4. Decrypting messages sent from end nodes and encrypting messages sent back to the nodes;

5. Gateways usually connect to the network server on an encrypted Internet Protocol (IP) link. The network usually includes the commissioning of the gateway and a monitoring interface that enables the network provider to manage gateways, remedy faults, monitor alarms, etc. …

Application server

The application server is where the IoT application is located – this is particularly useful for data captured using end devices. In most cases, application servers run via a private or public cloud, which is connected to the LoRaWAN network server and handles application-specific processing. The interface with the application server is controlled by the network server.

• LoRaWAN functions• Bi-directional communication

A terminal can transmit data to the gateway and also receive it according to the settings. These settings can also be called up within the application.

Localization

An interesting function of LoRaWAN is the localization without the need for GPS. This is particularly useful for tracking systems and sensors since it is battery-efficient and can be maintained more cheaply than conventional methods.

Scalability

LoRaWAN was designed for large IoT deployments in which thousands of devices are networked with a manageable number of gateways. These gateways can monitor multiple channels and process multiple messages at the same time.

Another important property of LoRaWAN is the speed with which data can be transmitted. There are different data rates that can be used for the transmission. These are also called spreading factors (SF). A slower transmission enables a longer and more reliable range.

For example, imagine you are talking to someone who is very close to you. You can speak very quickly in this situation and your counterpart understands everything you say. When you speak to someone who is far from you, you have to speak much slower to be understood. This principle also applies to the LoRaWAN protocol.

Adaptive Data Rate

With LoRaWAN, the network can also automatically optimize the speed at which the device transmits its data. This function is called the adaptive data rate (or ADR) and is particularly important to increase the capacity of a LoRaWAN network. ADR allows us to easily scale the network by adding another gateway. Because of this gateway, many end devices now automatically adjust their spreading factor. As a result, the individual devices are shorter “on the air”, which means more capacity for the network.

The adaptive data rate (abbreviation: ADR) is a simple mechanism that adjusts the data rate according to the following rules:

If the radio signal strength (also called “link budget”) is high, the data rate can be increased;

If the link budget is low, the data rate can be reduced.

Safety

It is important for every LPWAN to use a comprehensive security solution. LoRaWAN uses two levels of security: one for the network and one for the application. Network security ensures the authenticity of the end device in the network, while the application level ensures that the network operator does not have access to the application data of end-users. AES encryption is used for key exchange.

The network level is responsible for identifying the node. It checks whether a message really comes from a specific device and is also considered an integrity check. It can also encrypt MAC commands.

The application level is used for the decryption and encryption of payloads.

Both keys are encrypted with 128 bit AES in ECB mode.

Use cases and areas of application

LoRaWAN has found its place on the market in terms of applications and areas of application. Thanks to its unique properties, LoRaWAN is best suited for scenarios like these:

1. Access to electricity (electricity) is limited or restricted;

2. The locations are physically difficult to access or very remote;

3. The number of end devices is significantly higher compared to conventional mobile phone connections;

4. The end devices do not have to send messages continuously.

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What is LoRa Technology

What is LoRa?

LoRa technology is a sort of new wireless protocol designed precisely for long-range connectivity and low-power communications. LoRa stands for Long Range Radio and it is mainly targeted for the Internet of Things (IoT) and M2M networks. This technology will allow multi-tenant or public networks to connect a number of applications running on the same network.

LoRa Alliance was designed to normalize LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Networks) for IoT. A LoRa Technology and the open Lora WAN protocol enable smart IoT applications that solve some of the biggest challenges facing our planet: natural resource reduction, pollution control, disaster prevention, energy management, infrastructure efficiency, and more.

Each individual LoRa gateway has the capability to handle up to millions of nodes. The signals can extend a significant distance, which means that there is less structure required, making constructing a network faster and much cheaper to implement.

LoRa also features an adaptive data rate algorithm to help make the best use of the nodes network capacity and battery life. The LoRa protocol includes a number of different layers including application and device-level for secure communications, encryption at the network.

LoRa network architecture

A LoRa network contains several elements:

End points

The endpoints are the elements of the LoRa network where the control or sensing is undertaken. They are normally remotely located.

LoRa gateway

The gateway receives the infrastructures from the LoRa endpoints and then transfers them onto the backhaul system. This part of the LoRa network can be cellular, Ethernet or any other telecommunications link wireless or wired. The gateways are connected to the network server using typical IP connections. In this way the data uses a typical protocol but can be connected to any telecommunications network, whether private or public. In view of the likeness of a LoRa network to that of a cellular one, LoRaWAN gateways may often be co-located with a cellular base station. In this way, they are able to use extra capacity on the backhaul network.

LoRa Network Server

The LoRa network server succeeds in the network and as part of its function, it acts to remove duplicate packets, adapts data rates and schedules acknowledgment. In the assessment of the way in which it can be deployed and connected, makes it very easy to deploy a LoRa network.

Remote computer

Then, a remote computer can control the actions of the endpoints or collect data from the endpoints - the LoRa network being almost translucent.

In terms of the authentic architecture for the LoRa network, the nodes are typically in a star-of-stars topology with gateways forming a see-through bridge. These relay messages between the central network server and end-devices in the backend.

Communication to end point nodes is usually bi-directional, but it is also possible to support multicast operation, and this is useful for features such as the like or other mass distribution messages or software upgrades.

LoRa Technology basics

There are several key elements of LoRa technology. Some of its key features include the following:

Up to Millions of nodes

Long battery life; in spare of ten years

Long range; 15-20 km.

There are various elements to LoRa technology that provide the overall connectivity and functionality.

LoRa protocol stack: LoRa Alliance has also defined an open protocol stack. The creation of this open-source stack has allowed the concept of LoRa to raise because of all the different types of companies involved in LoRa development, deployment and use have been able to come together to create a low cost and easy to use solution for connectivity to all manners of connected IoT devices.

LoRa network design: (LoRaWAN):  Besides the RF elements of the LoRa wireless system, there are some other elements of the network architecture, including the presence of overall system architecture, Server, backhaul and the application computers. The overall architecture is often mentioned as LoRaWAN.

LoRa PHY / RF interface:  The LoRa physical layer or PHY is key to the operation of the system. It governs the aspects of the RF signal that is transmitted between the nodes or endpoints, i.e. LoRa gateway and the sensors are where signals are received. The physical layer or radio interface governs aspects of the signal including the modulation format, power levels, frequencies, signaling between the transmitting and receiving elements, and other related topics.

Features of LoRa Protocol

The following table displays some of the key features of the LoRa protocol such as modulation, capacity and range.

LoRa network security

The issue of network security is becoming gradually important. As such LoRa networks require high levels of security to prevent the trouble of any systems.

To attain the required levels of security for LoRa networks, several layers of encryption have been used:

Device specific key (EUI128).

The Unique Network key (EUI64) guarantees security on the network level.

Unique Application key (EUI64) certify end to end security.

Using these layers of encryption ensures that the LoRa network remains suitably secure.

LoRa Applications

LoRa wireless technology is preferably placed to be used in a variety of applications.

The long-range and low power capabilities mean that end points can be deployed in a wide variety of places, outside and inside buildings and still have the ability to be able to communicate with the gateway.

As the system is easy to deploy and it can be used for a large number of IoT, Internet Things, and machine to machine, applications, M2M.

Applications for LoRa wireless technology include inventory tracking, smart metering, vending machine data and monitoring; utility applications; automotive industry, etc. In fact, anywhere where control and data reporting may be needed.

LoRa technology is mainly attractive for many applications because of its long-range capability. Coverage is easy to provide and New nodes can easily be connected and activated.

LoRa Devices

Picocells & Gateways: Sensors capture then transmit data to gateways over distances that are close and far, outdoor and indoor, with the lowest power requirement

Transceivers & End-Nodes: Transceivers configured with LoRa Technology are fixed into sensor devices or end-nodes, designed for an assembly of industry applications.

LoRa Modulation:

LoRa Technology is the wireless modulation or physical (PHY) silicon layer, used to create the long-range communicatio­n link.

LoRa physical layer uses a form of spread spectrum modulation. The LoRa modulation system uses wide-band linear frequency-controlled pulses. The level of frequency increase or decrease over time is used to encode the data to be transmitted, such as; a form of chirp modulation.

This type of modulation enables LoRa wireless systems to demodulate signals that are 20dB below the noise floor when the demodulation is combined with forwarding error correction, FEC. When compared to a traditional FSK system; the link budget for a LoRa system can deliver an improvement of more than 25dB.

As a result of the point that the transmission is spread in a pseudo-random fashion, it may be difficult for non-Lora users to detect and appears like noise. This can support in the security of the system.

A further advantage of the system is that the chirp modulation and the system, in general, is tolerant of frequency offsets and as a result, it is possible to use a basic crystal oscillator with a 20-30 ppm acceptance rather than a temperature paying oscillator, TCXO. This can provide some good cost savings within the node electronic circuitry.

LoRaWAN:

Meanwhile, LoRa describes the lower physical layer, the upper networking layers were absent. LoRaWAN is one of the numerous protocols that were developed to describe the upper layers of the network. LoRaWAN is a cloud-based media access control (MAC) layer protocol but acts mainly as a network layer protocol to manage communication between end-node devices and LPWAN gateways, as steering protocol, maintained by the LoRa Alliance. LoRaWAN specification version 1.0 was released in June 2015.

LoRaWAN defines the system architecture and communication protocol for the network, while the LoRa physical layer allows the long-range communication link. LoRaWAN is also responsible for managing the data rate, power for all devices and communication frequencies. Devices in the network transmit whenever they have data available to send. Data transmitted by an end-node device is received by multiple gateways, which forward the data packets to a central network server. The server filters duplicate the packets, performs security checks, and manages the network. Data is then furthered to application servers. The technology shows high consistency for the modest load; however, it has some performance problems related to sending acknowledgments

Lora Alliance

As with many other systems, an industry body was set up to develop then promote the LoRa wireless system across the industry called the LoRa Alliance. It was launched in March 2015. As the Alliance states, it was set up to provide an open global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity.

Although LoRa had been essentially developed by Semtech, opening he standard out enabled it to be adopted by a wide number of companies, thereby growing the ecosystem and gaining significantly greater engagement, a wider variety of products and an overall increase in usage and acceptance.

The founding members of the LoRa Alliance include MOKOSMART,Actility, Cisco, Eolane, IBM, Kerlink, IMST, MultiTech, Sagemcom, Semtech, and Microchip Technology, as well as lead telecom operators: Bouygues Telecom, KPN, SingTel, Proximus, Swisscom, and FastNet (part of Telkom South Africa).

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What is LoRa

LoRa is an open radio standard of a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) for only small amounts of data. Therefore it’s suitable for a long-range.

As for LoRaWAN, it is the name for a radio network based on LoRa. LoRa and uses frequency bands from the license-free ISM bands. This means that a LoRaWAN can be an alternative or supplement to the traditional mobile network with a central network operator. What’s more, a LoRaWAN is also referred to as a 0G network to differentiate it from traditional mobile communications.

Since LoRa is an open radio standard, anyone can set up a LoRaWAN as an IoT or M2M network with bidirectional communication or use a community-based solution.

Note: American LoRaWAN is different from European LoRaWAN. This has an impact on the transmission rate and thus also on energy consumption.

Characteristics

• Connection: Uplink-oriented, bidirectional, acknowledgment mode possible

• Modulation: Chirp Spread Spectrum and FSK

• Network architecture: The end devices communicate with gateways, which transmit the data packets to a server. The server has interfaces for connecting to IoT platforms and applications.

• Frequency ranges: 868 MHz (863–870 MHz, divided into several subbands) in Europe and 915 MHz in the USA. The channel usage period is limited by regulations in many countries (duty cycle).

• Range: Depending on the topography, up to 2 km in urban areas and up to 15 km in rural areas. Good penetration of buildings is achieved.

• Energy consumption: Between 10 mA and 100 nA in sleep mode. Depending on the application, the battery life is 2 to 15 years.

• Radio channel bandwidth: 125 kHz

• Sensitivity: -137 dBm

• Transmission power: +20 dBm or a maximum of 25 mW

• Data packets: EU: max. 51 bytes / USA: max. 11 bytes of user data per packet

• Transfer rate: Between 250 bit / s and 50 kbit / s

Transmission Technology

To achieve high efficiency in data transfer and energy consumption, LoRaWAN uses a frequency spread. It allows interference to be largely avoided and narrowband interference to be avoided.

The transmission method is called “Chirp Spread Spectrum”. And the signal transmission takes place as a kind of chirping. Then, the chirped pulse is spread over a wide frequency range. The bandwidth can optionally be used for a high data rate or a robust transmission. The spread factor and the bandwidth determine how high the data rate can be and how high the probability of reception is.

Signals that are modulated with different spreading factors and transmitted over the same frequency channel do not interfere with each other. The orthogonality of the spreading factors enables the simultaneous transmission of several end devices on the same channel.

The LoRa signals are very robust against in-band and out-of-band interference. Their insensitivity to multipath reception or fading ensures a long-range in urban areas.

LoRaWAN Network Architecture

The LoRaWAN network architecture consists of many end devices in the form of sensors and actuators, several gateways and a central network server. The terminal device communicates with the gateway. The gateway connects to the network server. Then the network server communicates via various protocols (e.g. REST, MQTT, etc.) with an application that is operated, for example, as an application in the cloud.

In a LoRaWAN, gateways are the receivers for the radio signals at 868 MHz. Here the LoRa chips receive the chirp signals. As for gateways, on the other hand, connect to the Internet.

The gateways of a LoRaWAN ideally form a close-knit network and can be distributed all over the world.

A message can be received by one or more gateways. The gateways forward these to the network server without further intervention.

In a LoRaWAN, the network servers are responsible for identifying the sender and forwarding the package to an application server.

The network server ensures, among other things, that a message arrives only once at the application server, regardless of how many gateways have received it.

Private or Community Network

Basically everyone can operate their own LoRaWAN. Since LoRa works in the non-assigned frequency range, no license costs for frequencies are necessary.

If you only have to set up a LoRaWAN in a limited area, the operation of your own gateways and servers can make sense.

However, if you are dependent on a wide-area radio network, you can also contact MOKOSmart, we only operate our own gateway, which speaks to the servers over the Internet. With regard to security, you only have to trust the network server to deliver the received data packets and the application server, which can decrypt the content.

Range

LoRa has a high sensitivity of -137 dBm, which increases the availability of the network. The signals penetrate building walls without any problems and can also reach cellars or other so-called deep indoor locations.

The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is approximately 3 km (city), approx. 6 km (suburbs) and up to 13 km (rural areas) depending on the surroundings and built-up areas.

The distance between the LoRa transmitter and the receiver depends on the spreading factor, the bandwidth, the selected transmission power of the LoRa Chip and the antenna used.

Transfer Rate

To maximize battery life and control overall network capacity (limited by regulatory requirements), LoRa controls the data rate and RF output individually using adaptive data rate (ADR) for each end device.

Communication between the terminal and gateway takes place on different frequency channels with different data rates. The range of data is  0. 3 to 50 kbit/s. The physical package size is 64 bytes. 13 bytes are required for the header. This leaves 51 bytes for the user data.

Note: in the United States, channel time is capped at 400 milliseconds. This means that only a maximum of 11 bytes of user data can be transmitted per packet.

The SF12 (spreading factor) at 125 kHz (bandwidth) only achieves 250 bit / s (data rate). The receiver is very likely to perceive the chirp pulse because it is comparatively easy for it to distinguish the signals from the noise.

The fastest specified combination is SF7 at 250 kHz bandwidth. This leads to 11,000 bps.

Power Consumption

The LoRa modulation process enables optimal transmission power with the lowest possible power consumption by the transmitter. The low energy consumption enables battery life of up to 15 years.

This simplifies handling and is inexpensive because no separate power supply is required.

Classes of Devices

LoRa differentiates between different device classes, whereby only class A is interesting for applications in the Internet of Things. And the end device is in a battery-saving state and only transmits briefly when the state changes. Something can only be sent to the terminal during this time.

Together with the radio module, these end devices are very inexpensive because of their simplicity and are also suitable for covering a high demand.

If devices can also be addressed outside this period, device class B or C must actually be selected, which greatly increases power consumption and, depending on the network, is not supported at all.

Applications

LoRa is primarily made for static sensor applications. Typical applications include recording, querying and exchanging status information. With sensors located at any location, information can be determined or obtained, which can be easily integrated into an application.

1. Smart Home 2. Smart City 3. Smart Factory 4. Smart Farming 5. Smart Transport

This article is from https://www.mokosmart.com/lora/

Welcome to contact us if you need LoRa solutions and LoRa products!

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The accurate reference clock is important for LoRaWAN technology

To ensure that the receiver can process the incoming code chips and convert the stream back into data, DSSS relies on an exact reference clock on the circuit board. Such clock sources are rather expensive and the increasing accuracy of the clocking also increases power consumption. The CSS technology used by LoRaWAN technology (chirp spread spectrum) can be implemented more cost-effectively because it does not rely on a precise clock source. A chirp signal is a signal whose frequency varies over time.

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In the case of LoRaWAN technology network, the frequency of the signal increases over the length of the code chips of the respective data bit group. To improve reliability, LoRaWAN adds error correction information to the data stream. In addition to the immunity of systems with a spread spectrum, CSS offers a high level of immunity to multipath distortion and fading, which is problematic in urban environments – just like Doppler shifts: overlays change the frequency. The CSS technique is more robust because Doppler shifts cause only a small change in the time axis of the baseband signal.

More range or higher data rate

Like DSSS, LoRa can vary the number of code chips per bit. The standard defines six different scattering factors (SF). With a higher SF, the range of a network can be increased – but with more performance per bit and a lower overall data rate. With SF7, the maximum data rate is approximately 5.4 kbit / s and the signal can be considered strong enough at a distance of 2 km – although this distance depends on the terrain. With SF10, the estimated range increases to 8 km with a data rate of slightly less than 1 kbit / s. This is the highest SF in an uplink: a transmission from the node to the base station. A downlink can use two even larger SF. The SFs are orthogonal. This allows different nodes to use different channel configurations without influencing each other. In addition to the physical level that prepares data for CSS modulation and transmission, LoRaWAN defines two logical layers that correspond to levels 2 and 3 of the layered OSI network model (Open Systems Interconnection).

• Level 2 is the LoRa data connection level. It offers fundamental protection of message integrity based on cyclical redundancy checks. LoRaWAN establishes basic point-to-point communication. • Level 3 adds the network protocol feature. The LoRaWAN protocol offers nodes the opportunity to signal each other or to send data to the cloud via the Internet – using a concentrator or a gateway.

LoRaWAN technology uses a star topology: All leaf nodes communicate via the most suitable gateway. The gateways take over the routing and, if more than one gateway is within range of a leaf node and the local network is overloaded, can redirect the communication to an alternative. Some IoT protocols use mesh networks to increase the maximum distance of a leaf node from a gateway. The consequence is a higher energy requirement of the nodes for the forwarding of messages to and from the gateways, as well as for an unpredictable shortening of the battery life.

The LoRaWAN architecture ensures that the battery of each IoT node can be dimensioned appropriately and predictably for the application. The gateway acts as a bridge between simpler protocols, which are better suited for resource-restricted leaf nodes, and the Internet Protocol (IP), which is used to provide IoT services. LoRaWAN technology also takes into account the different functions and energy profiles of the end devices by supporting three different access classes. All devices must be able to support class A. This is the easiest mode that helps maximize battery life. This class uses the widely used Aloha protocol.

Automatic collision avoidance integrated

A device can send an uplink message to the gateway at any time: The protocol has built-in collision avoidance when two or more devices try to send at the same time. Once a transmission is complete, the end node waits for a downlink message that must arrive within one of two available time slots. Once the response is received, the end node can go to sleep, which maximizes battery life.

A LoRaWAN gateway cannot activate a class A end node if it is in the idle state. He has to wake up by himself. This is due to local timers or an event-controlled activation, which is triggered by an event at a local sensor input. Actuators such as valves in a fluid control system must be able to receive commands sent by a network application – even if they have no local data for processing and communication. These devices use Class B or C modes.

With class B, each device is assigned a time window within which it must activate its recipient in order to search for downlink messages. The node can remain in sleep mode between these time windows. Uplink messages can be sent if the device is not waiting for a downlink message. Class B is used when the latency of up to several minutes can be tolerated. Class C supports significantly lower latency times for downlink messages since the receiver front end remains almost constantly active. A class C device is not in receive mode only if it sends its own uplink messages. This class is used by network powered end nodes.

Continuous encryption of the transmitted user data

In contrast to other protocols proposed for the IoT, LoRaWAN offers end-to-end encryption of the application data – right down to the cloud servers that are used to manage and provide the services. In addition to end-to-end encryption, LoRaWAN technology ensures that every device connected to the network has the required credentials and lets IoT nodes check whether they are not connecting to a gateway with a false identity. To ensure the required level of authentication, each LoRaWAN device is programmed during production with a unique key, which is referred to in the protocol as an AppKey.

The device also has a unique identifier worldwide. To make it easier for devices to identify their gateway connections, each network has its own identifier in a list managed by the LoRa Alliance. Computers that are identified as join servers are used to authenticate the AppKey of any device that wants to join the network. Once the join server has authenticated the AppKey, it creates a pair of session keys that are used for subsequent transactions. The NwkSKey is used to encrypt messages that are used to control changes at the network level, e.g. to set up a device on a specific gateway. The second key (AppSKey) encrypts all data at the application level. This separation ensures that the user’s messages cannot be intercepted and decrypted by a third network operator.

Another level of security is achieved through the use of secure counters that are integrated into the message protocol. This feature prevents packet playback attacks in which a hacker intercepts packets and manipulates them before feeding them back into the data stream. All security mechanisms are implemented via AES encryption, which has been proven to guarantee a high level of security. Due to its nationwide supply, energy efficiency and security, LoRaWAN technology is suitable for many applications as a protocol for setting up IoT networks.

How LoRaWAN Technology works

With its star topology and cleverly implemented signal transmission technology, LoRaWAN technology is specifically designed for the energy-efficiency and secure networking of devices in the Internet of Things. We can explain how the technology works.

The Internet of things imposes many requirements on the network technologies used. What is needed is an architecture that is designed for thousands of nodes that can be far from populated areas and in hard-to-reach places – from sensors that monitor water flow and pollution in rivers and canals to consumption meters in the basement.

The architecture must also safely support battery-powered sensor nodes while simplifying installation and maintenance. That speaks for radio operation. Network technology must take into account the strict power consumption requirements for end nodes, many of which are to be operated with a single battery for decades. High security is essential to prevent eavesdropping and to ward off hackers.

The design of such a network technology begins on the physical level. Similar to a number of other radio protocols that are used for IoT applications, LoRaWAN technology uses the spread spectrum modulation. An essential difference between LoRaWAN and other protocols is the use of an adaptive technique based on chirp signals – and not on conventional DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum signaling). This approach offers a compromise between reception sensitivity and maximum data rate, which supports this adaptation node by node thanks to the modulation configuration.

With DSSS, the phase of the carrier is dynamically shifted according to a precalculated code sequence. A number of successive codes are applied to each bit to be transmitted. This sequence of phase shifts for each bit produces a signal that changes much faster than the carrier, thus spreading the data over a wide frequency band. The higher the number of code pulses (chips) per bit, the higher the scatter factor. This spread makes the signal less susceptible to interference, but reduces the effective data rate and increases the power consumption per bit transmitted. Because the transmitter is more resistant to interference, it can reduce the overall power level. DSSS, therefore, offers lower power consumption with the same bit error rate. DSSS causes electricity and investment costs, which limits the application in IoT nodes.

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5 things to know what is LoRa wireless technology

LoRa is a wireless technology that provides long-range, low power and secure data transmission for IoT and M2M applications. It is a chirp spread spectrum based modulation that has low power characteristics like FSK modulation. However, it is helpful for long-range communications. LoRa wireless is handy in connecting sensors, machines, gateways and devices.

LoRa Technology operates all around the world in different frequency bands. For example, it operates on the  865 to 867 MHz and 920 to 923 band in different regions of Asia. Moreover, it operates in the 868 MHz bands in Europe.

LoRa wireless technology basis

There are many key elements of LoRa technology. For example, it includes millions of nodes worldwide and LoRa wireless range is almost from 15 to 20 km long. Furthermore, LoRa wireless system comes with a long battery life that is enough for almost 10 years.

There are many factors that provide the overall connectivity and functionality to the LoRa wireless system:

• LoRa PHY/ RF interface

The LoRa Physical layer plays a significant role in system operation. It basically governs the aspects of the RF signals transmitted between the endpoints or nodes. The radio interface or physical layer governs aspects of the signal that includes modulation format, frequencies, and power levels. Furthermore, this layer also controls the signaling between the transmitting and receiving elements and some other similar topics.

• LoRa Protocol Stack

Likewise LoRa PHY, LoRa Alliance has defined an open protocol stack. It has enabled the concept of LoRa technology to grow due to different types of companies involved in LoRa’s development. As a result, LoRa protocol is easy to use, low-cost solutions for connectivity and other matters.

• LoRa Network Architecture

Likewise RF, there are some other elements of the LoRa wireless network. It includes system architecture, server, and applications, backhaul. So the term for overall architecture is LoRaWAN.

LoRa wireless system parameters

LoRa technology has an attraction for various applications due to its long-range capability. So it is very easy to connect a new node with the LoRaWiress less system. All you need to know the most essential parameters of this technology. LoRa Wireless system has various parameters. Here is the complete summary:

Signal format: CSS is a signal format.

Spreading factor: It ranges from 27 to 212.

Uplink data rate: It is from 29 to 50 kbps.

Channel bandwidth: It varies from 125 to 500 kHz.

Downlink data rate: 27 to 50 kbps.

Doppler sensitivity: up to 40 ppm

Efficiency: It is 0.12 Hz

Link budget: 156dB

Key features of LoRa wireless communication

There are many reasons for the popularity of the LoRa wireless system. Let’s dive deeper into the key features of LoRa wireless:

Long Range: LoRa wireless range is almost 30 miles. So it is capable to connect different devices up to 30 miles apart.

Low Power: Another most important feature of this technology is the least power consumption. This technology requires minimal energy. So the overall battery life is up to 10 years. Therefore, the usage of the LoRa wireless network minimizes the battery replacement cost.

Security: Apart from LoRa wireless range, it comes with end-to-end AES128 encryption. Moreover, it features integrity protection, mutual authentication, and confidentiality.

Standardized: This technology offers the global availability of LoRaWAN networks for speedy deployment of different applications.

Mobile: Another key feature of this technology is to maintain communication with devices even in motion without strain on power consumption.

Geolocation: It enables GPS-free tracking applications. Furthermore, it offers unique low power benefits that were untouchable by other technologies.

High Capacity: This technology supports millions of messages per base station.

Low Cost: It dramatically reduces infrastructure investment and the cost of battery replacement. Above all, this technology operates on the lowest expenses.

Lora wireless application in battery-operated sensor and low-power

LoRa technology is connecting this planet dramatically due to its lower cost and easy to use nature. It enhances businesses and improves lives all around the globe. You can utilize this technology in every walk of life. Here are some important applications of LoRa:

It helps you to build Smart Cities

Play a key role in a smart environment

You can use it for smart healthcare

This technology is very helpful for modernizing agriculture.

It is further helpful for Smart homes and building development

Moreover, it is a handy tool for industries.

You can also utilize it for smart metering.

You might be thinking about why LoRa wireless technology is changing the world rapidly. To understand this, you need to know the different key features of this technology.

LoRa wireless modules

There are different types of LoRa wireless modules available on the market. So these modules have different usage and applications. Are you looking for LoRa wireless modules for intelligent agriculture, air quality or farming projects? LW002-TH LoRaWAN Temperature & Humidity Sensor is one of the most suitable options for you.

This module utilizes the LoRaWAN protocol for its working. It supports CN470 MHz, AU915 MHz, EU868 MHz US915 MHz AS923 MHz frequencies in China, Australia, Europe, and other regions. Moreover, this module comes with an 8000 mah non-chargeable battery. Moreover, the lifetime of this battery is about 10 years.

You can deploy this module in any type of environment. Because it is capable to operate from -10C to 50C. Moreover, it can proficiently work in humidity ranges from 10 to 90 percent. In addition, this module provides ultra-long range signal transmission capability. The data rate of this module is between 293 bps to 5.4 kbps. The max transmission power of this module is 19 dBm.

It can be easily fit in any type of environment such as urban monitoring, industrial, environmental, or farming projects. So it triggers an alarm when the threshold exceeded.