Inside the World of IoT | LoRaWAN the Smart way to go
It is a new age and the Internet has paved a new road for everyone and everything. The Internet of Things, or IoT, is simply a term used to describe all the devices in the world that are connected to the internet, IoT allows communication between the digital and physical worlds.
Let’s say for example, you want to put on the Thermostat from your bed without having to get up since you’re enjoying your sleep so much. Did you know that with an IoT enabled thermostat, you could easily control your thermostat or any other thing in your house from your bed via a smartphone?
The popularity of IoT is definitely boosted by the availability of Low Powered Wide Area Networks such as LoRaWAN, they allow for the transmission of information between “Things” at low cost, making IoT a sustainable goal.
IoT on an industrial level can cost a lot and hence it requires cost-effective, long lasting, long range and power saving sensors and actuators. LoRaWAN brings a smart solution to the cost dilemma of IoT by improving LPWAN in terms of battery life and network range.
It was developed by the LoRa Alliance and it helps to wirelessly connect devices or things that are battery operated in an area.
LoRaWAN is a MAC(Media Access Control) protocol for devices that are low powered(i.e. make use of batteries), it allows them to communicate with internet enabled devices or applications over a long range.
It is a form of LPWAN(Low power wide area network) which allows for the connection of IoT sensors and devices. LoRaWAN is short for Long Range Wireless Area Network, it was developed to give IoT devices longer battery durability, lasting for several years while also being relatively cost conscious.
On the other hand, LoRa(Long Range) is the physical part of LoRaWAN. It utilizes chirp spectrum modulation and this allows for a longer range of communication. A base station can provide network to a whole city or even hundreds of kilometers.
LoRa has a far more profitable link-budget when compared to other standard communication technology and thanks to the chirp spectrum modulation, LoRa is also resistant to the Doppler effect and multi-path fading even at low power.
Why Is LoRaWAN The Smart Way To Go?
Longer Range
The main edge that LoRaWAN has, is its long range capabilities, it can allow communication over hundreds of square kilometers. Although, range is a factor of the type of environment or obstructions that are present in a given place.
LoRa has a greater link budget with LoRaWAN than most standard communication networks and this reduces the need to have more base stations for IoT devices to communicate as compared to other standard networks.
Improved Battery Life
Definitely one of the biggest advantaged of utilizing LoRaWAN, data transmission with this network requires a rather low level of data transmission and also low current for reception.
This helps to bring down the amount of power needed by the devices or ‘things’ and hence reducing power consumption. The reduction in power consumption results in a long lasting and durable battery life for the device.
Devices that utilize this network can have batteries that remain viable for up to 10 years.
Deeper Indoor penetration
The LoRa chirp spectrum modulation allows for indoor and long penetration and hence this allows LoRaWAN to reach deeper sensors that may be located under the ground such as gas meters or water meters.
With this network, there is no need to worry about not being able to communicate with far sensors that are located in farther areas indoors.
Cost Effectiveness
Overall, the LoRaWAN makes the use of IoT much more cost effective by eliminating the worry of power consumption.
Also, the base stations are of lower costs compared to other standard communication networks and this allows operators to set up in little time with minimal investment.
The frequencies used to operate LoRaWAN are open standard and allow for cost-free operations.
Finally
By allowing for the communication of low powered devices over a long range of distance, LoRaWAN has proven to be the smart way to go in the future of IoT.