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LoRa Wireless Technology: M2M and IoT Networks

lora wireless iot m2m network

This article covers LoRa wireless technology, explaining its basics for use in M2M (Machine-to-Machine) and IoT (Internet of Things) networks.

LoRa stands for Long Range Radio. It’s a wireless technology primarily aimed at M2M and IoT networks. This technology facilitates public or multi-tenant networks, allowing multiple applications to run on the same network. LoRa is designed to help develop smart cities through the use of LoRa sensors and automated products/applications.

The LoRa Alliance was formed to standardize LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) for M2M/IoT. Key members include Actility, Cisco, Bouygues Telecom, Proximus, SingTel, Semtech, Swisscom, and IBM. The LoRa Alliance is driving the global success of the LoRa Protocol, known as LoRaWAN.

LoRa Wireless Technology Basics in M2M and IoT

The following table summarizes key features of LoRa wireless technology, including range, standard, modulation scheme, capacity, and physical layer characteristics:

Specification/FeatureLoRa Support
Range2-5 Km in dense urban areas and 15 Km in suburban areas
Frequency bandISM band 868 MHz and 915 MHz
StandardIEEE 802.15.4g
ModulationSpread spectrum modulation using wide-band linear FM pulses. Frequency increase or decrease over a period encodes data. Offers 30dB improvement over FSK.
CapacityOne LoRa gateway can handle thousands of nodes.
BatteryLonger battery life
Physical layerManages frequency, power, modulation, and signaling between nodes and the gateway.

LoRa Network

The figure above illustrates a LoRa network. It comprises two main entities: Sensors (or nodes) and the LoRa Gateway (or LoRa base station).

LoRa Products and LoRa Device Testing

Semtech is a leading corporation in LoRa wireless technology products. They introduced the SX127x family of RF Transceivers to support LoRa technology for the emerging M2M/IoT market. These transceivers operate in the 860-1000 MHz and 137-960 MHz ranges. Semtech has also introduced a concentrator in the 860-1000 MHz frequency range.

Semtech provides LoRa device evaluation and testing devices for the 868 MHz band and has developed a LoRa base station. Additionally, they offer a LoRa development kit for companies involved in LoRa development/manufacturing.