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LORA / LORAWAN TUTORIAL 1
IoT, LPWAN, Semtech, LoRa
v1.2.0
[Link]
INTRO
• Hi
my name is Robert Lie and the main goal of this video series is to provide
beginners with basic LoRa and LoRaWAN knowledge.
• Foreducational purpose I try to simplify things but do not expect an in-depth
explanation of each subject matter. I am focussing on the concept and not the details.
• In this first tutorial I will explain why LoRa is used in IoT projects.
[Link]
INTERNET OF THINGS
• The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a network of physical devices that are connected to
the Internet and are able to “talk” to each other.
• The prediction is that by 2020 there will be over 25 billion devices connected to the
Internet.
• There are many wireless technologies
you can use to connect these devices to
the Internet, such as:
- Short-range wireless communication
- Cellular communication
- LPWAN communication
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REFERENCES
• In
this video series I will be using equations and other information taken from several
sources. In my presentations these sources are referenced by the label [ref no].
1. Semtech: AN1200.22 - LoRa Modulation Basics (Revision 2, May 2015)
[Link]
2. Semtech: SX1276/77/78/79 Datasheet (Rev. 5, August 2016)
[Link]
3. Semtech: AN1200.13 - SX1272/3/6/7/8 LoRa Modem Design Guide (Revision 1, July
2013)
[Link]
[Link]
REFERENCES
4. LoRa Alliance, Inc: LoRaWAN specification
[Link]
5. ETSI EN 300 220-2 (V3.2.1, June 2018)
[Link]
en_30022002v030201p.pdf
6. Semtech: [Link] - LoRaWAN Network Server Demonstration:
Gateway to Server Interface Definition (Revision 1.0 - July 2015)
7. Semtech SX1301 Datasheet (V2.4 - June 2017)
[Link]
[Link]
REFERENCES
8. Semtech SX1308 Datasheet (V1.2 - June 2017)
[Link]
[Link]
PRESENTATION
• All
my presentations used in this video series can be found here:
[Link]
[Link]
LPWAN
• LPWAN stands for Low Power Wide Area Network and this type of wireless
communication is designed for sending small data packages over long distances,
operating on a battery. There are a number of competing technologies in the LPWAN
space such as: Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Sigfox, LoRa and others.
Short-range
wireless 5G • In
this video series I will only be
Cellular
4G
communication
3G
communication focussing on LoRa.
Data rate
WiFi 2G
LPWAN
Bluetooth
NB-IoT
BLE
LoRa
ZigBee Sigfox
NFC/RFID
Range
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WIRELESS COMMUNICATION COMPARISON
Wireless Wireless
Range (m) Tx power (mW)
Technology Communication
Bluetooth Short range ~10 ~2.5
WIFI Short range ~50 ~80
3G / 4G Cellular ~5000 ~500
2000-5000 (urban area)
LoRa* LPWAN 5000-15000 (rural area) ~20
> 15000 (direct line of sight)
* Data packages are very small
[Link]
SEMTECH
• TheLoRa wireless technology was developed by a French start-up company Cycleo
which developed the LoRa modulation technology.
• In 2012 the Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ: SMTC) acquired Cycleo.
• The LoRa radio and modulation part is patented and its source is closed.
• Semtech has licensed its LoRa intellectual property (ip) to other chip manufacturers,
such as HopeRF, Microchip, Dorji, etc.
• The word LORA is a trademark of Semtech Corporation, filed in 2015.
• More information about Semtech:
[Link]
[Link]
LORA RANGE
• Therange between LoRa sender and receiver depends on the environment the
equipment operates in. Indoor coverage largely depends on the type of building
material used.
Environment Range (km)
Urban areas (towns & cities) 2-5
Rural areas (countrysides) 5-15
Direct Line Of Sight >15
• Some notable records:
Andreas Spiess, ground to ground connection: 212 km (= 131.73 miles)
Weather balloon to ground connection: 702.67 km (= 436.61 miles)
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FEW USE CASES USING LORA TECHNOLOGY
• Smart utilities
Power transformer monitoring
Water level monitoring
Utility meter
Fuel monitoring (monitoring fuel levels in fuel tanks for heating houses)
• Health & Hygiene
Temperature / humidity monitoring
Environmental monitoring
Waste management (monitoring waste level in waste bins)
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FEW USE CASES USING LORA TECHNOLOGY
• Safety
Smart lightning
Water level monitoring
Radioactivity level monitoring
Dike monitoring (prevent peat dikes from drying out)
• Efficiency
Asset management (e.g. tracking containers, pallets, etc.)
Fleet management (e.g. tracking cars, vans, trucks, etc.)
• Agriculture
Monitoring animal welfare
Monitoring plant growing conditions