A LoRa (Long Range) network includes the following components:
- End nodes (e.g., a sensor)
- Gateways
- Network servers
These form the minimum infrastructure required to successfully use LoRa end nodes and analyze the data in a platform such as AWS IoT Core, Google IoT, or RevoConnect.
A LoRa (Long Range) network includes the following components:
- End nodes (e.g., a sensor)
- Gateways
- Network servers
These form the minimum infrastructure required to successfully use LoRa end nodes and analyze the data in a platform such as AWS IoT Core, Google IoT, or RevoConnect.
In suitable use cases, a LoRa network offers the following advantages:
In suitable use cases, a LoRa network offers the following advantages:
-
Free 868 MHz frequency band in Europe (therefore no costs involved)
- Low power consumption at the end node, meaning long battery life
- Good range of 3-15 km (depending on building density or direct line of sight)
The LoRa standard is often in competition with the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. This doesn’t have to be the case, because both are designed for different use cases. The use case and the goal of the LoRa network must be clearly defined. Only from the goal can the necessary components be derived. The use case (e.g., humidity measurement in urban areas, snow load profiles in remote areas, fill levels of decentralized systems) forms the basis of the LoRa network.
-
Free 868 MHz frequency band in Europe (therefore no costs involved)
- Low power consumption at the end node, meaning long battery life
- Good range of 3-15 km (depending on building density or direct line of sight)
The LoRa standard is often in competition with the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. This doesn’t have to be the case, because both are designed for different use cases. The use case and the goal of the LoRa network must be clearly defined. Only from the goal can the necessary components be derived. The use case (e.g., humidity measurement in urban areas, snow load profiles in remote areas, fill levels of decentralized systems) forms the basis of the LoRa network.
Setting this objective will then answer many open questions:
Setting this objective will then answer many open questions:
-
What is the required range for LoRa nodes?
- What network parameters are relevant (such as SF, bandwidth, CR, payload)?
- Which LoRa network server makes sense (Light LoRa Server or Enterprise Server)?
- What problems might arise?
- Purpose of the LoRa end node: Many nodes in a dense network or a few nodes with a large coverage area?
- How often should the end nodes report in (data volume)?
- Which hardware is needed for the end node (make or buy decision)?
- What are the operating costs of the infrastructure (hardware, servers, and licenses)?
- Where are the network server and application server located in the network topology?
- How is data transferred to the platform (MQTT, REST API, or programmatic interface)?
- Does the necessary skillset exist in-house?
A project handbook with the specific requirements and a concept are the next steps. Implementation will be explained in a future post.
-
What is the required range for LoRa nodes?
- What network parameters are relevant (such as SF, bandwidth, CR, payload)?
- Which LoRa network server makes sense (Light LoRa Server or Enterprise Server)?
- What problems might arise?
- Purpose of the LoRa end node: Many nodes in a dense network or a few nodes with a large coverage area?
- How often should the end nodes report in (data volume)?
- Which hardware is needed for the end node (make or buy decision)?
- What are the operating costs of the infrastructure (hardware, servers, and licenses)?
- Where are the network server and application server located in the network topology?
- How is data transferred to the platform (MQTT, REST API, or programmatic interface)?
- Does the necessary skillset exist in-house?
A project handbook with the specific requirements and a concept are the next steps. Implementation will be explained in a future post.