LoRaWAN Tracking Device: Design, Components, and Vendors

This page discusses the design and development of LoRaWAN Tracking Devices, including the hardware components typically used. It also provides a list of popular certified LoRaWAN Tracking Device manufacturers or vendors.

Introduction

This article explores tracking devices based on LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) technology. LoRaWAN is a low-power, long-range wireless communication system that operates in various frequency bands globally.

Tracking devices are useful for remotely monitoring the location of elderly people, children, or valuable consignments.

LoRaWAN Tracking Device Design

The following diagram illustrates a typical LoRaWAN Tracking Device block diagram.

As shown, the device generally consists of a microcontroller, a LoRaWAN transceiver IC, and a GPS/GNSS sensor. The tracking device communicates with the LoRaWAN network through a gateway and its infrastructure, which includes cloud-based servers.

A web or mobile application can be developed to track the device’s precise location as it moves.

Here’s a breakdown of how the tracking device works:

• GPS/GNSS IC: Provides latitude and longitude information to the microcontroller.
• Microcontroller: Stores the location data and transmits it to the LoRaWAN network using the transceiver IC.
• Mobile/Web Application: Retrieves the location information from the cloud.
• Cloud Services: Various companies offer cloud services for data storage and processing, including ThingSpeak, Google Cloud IoT Core, IBM Watson IoT Platform, SensorCloud, and Adafruit Cloud.

LoRaWAN Tracking Device Hardware Components

The following table outlines typical hardware components used in LoRaWAN Tracking Device development:

LoRaWAN Tracking Device from GlobalSat

GlobalSat (Taiwan) offers a LoRaWAN Tracking Device, model LT-100, with the following features:

• Supports Class A/Class C
• 3-axis accelerometer for motion sensing
• Help button for emergency situations
• Compact and battery-operated
• Real-time tracking capabilities

Applications: Asset tracking, personal monitoring of elderly people and children, pet tracking, etc.

LoRaWAN Tracking Device Manufacturers or Vendors

The following is a list of certified manufacturers or vendors of LoRaWAN Tracking Devices: