LoRa (Long Range) is a proprietary low-power wide-area network modulation technique. It is based on spread spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum (CSS) technology. It was developed by Cycleo of Grenoble, France, and acquired by Semtech, a founding member of the LoRa Alliance, and it is patented. LoRa uses license-free sub-gigahertz radio frequency bands like 433 MHz, 868 MHz (Europe), 915 MHz (Australia and North America), 865 MHz to 867 MHz (India), and 923 MHz (Asia). LoRa enables long-range transmissions with low power consumption. The technology covers the physical layer, while other technologies and protocols like LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) cover the upper layers. It can achieve data rates up to 11Kbps depending upon the spreading factor and the channel BW.

LoRaWAN can have geolocation capabilities used for trilateration positions of devices via timestamps from gateways. Since LoRa defines the lower physical layer, the upper networking layers were lacking. LoRaWAN is one of several protocols that were developed to determine the upper layers of the network. LoRaWAN is a cloud-based medium access control (MAC) layer protocol. Still, it acts mainly as a network layer protocol for managing communication between LPWAN gateways and end-node devices as a routing protocol maintained by the LoRa Alliance.

LoRaWAN defines the network’s communication protocol and system architecture, while the LoRa physical layer enables the long-range communication link. LoRaWAN is also responsible for managing the communication frequencies, data rate, and power for all devices. Devices in the network are asynchronous and transmit when they have data available to send. Data transmitted by an end-node device is received by multiple gateways, which forward the data packets to a centralized network server. Data is then forwarded to the application servers. The technology shows high reliability for the moderate load; however, it has some performance issues related to sending acknowledgments.

Link to the pdf file: What is LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN Technology benefits

Long Range:
About 20km rural, 5km urban, 2km deep penetration urban

Long Battery Life:
More than 10 years from normal battery

Low cost:
Lower cost than cellural or other LPWAN solution

Bidirectional Communication:
Sensor data uplinks and downlink application level control of the end device

Built-in Security:
Using AES-128 CCM, privacy, authenticity and message integrity are assured end-to-end

LoRa Alliance® Ecosystem:
Fastest growing technology alliance and open standards for worldwide interoperability

Plenty of IoT solutions:
a bouquet of sensors provides a solution to almost every need