INTRODUCTION
LoRa is a technique that works on the basis of radio modulation and it is strictly a way to manipulate radio waves to encode information and it uses CSS, also known as Chirp Spread Spectrum Technology. The terminology “LoRa” refers to the systems that support this modification technology or network of communication used by IoT networks.
LoRa gateway offers benefits such as long-range capability and appreciable affordability. These two are its main advantages. LoRa gateway is typically used in Smart cities. In smart cities, there are low-powered IoT devices that are also very inexpensive. Sensors and monitors spread acroos a wide area to send concise packets of data centrally to the administrator. A gateway is something that is seen as a physical box that houses the hardware as well as the application software. It performs important and vital tasks like connecting Internet of Things devices to the cloud.
LoRa gateway
LoRa gateway allows the operator of an Internet of Things network to trade and communicate data rate for enhanced power and spectrum for optimization of the (performance-based) networks.
It can be even operated for the connection purposes of sensors, gateways, devices, machines and so on. All of this is connected to the cloud without any source of wires. LoRa gateway allows the operator of an Internet of Things network to trade and communicate data rate for enhanced power and spectrum for optimization of the networks which is just performance-based.
It binds devices to the Cloud and is extremely flexible and creative for indoor utilisation instances. This may include agriculture, cities, industrial IoT (also called IIoT), smart homes, and not to mention the very obvious – smart supply chain and logistics.
Another very important and famous function that it performs is its enormously long range and its low power usage. Very competently it maneuvers to flee protocols like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth way behind in the journey. They fail to come close to this ground. A gateway is used by many IoT devices in the form of a central hub and it drops knowledge and further connects that data to networks externally. A gateway acts like a Wi-Fi router, something that each one of us are acquainted with. It has a LoRa concentrator and it lets it receive signals from RF that are sent out by LoRaWAN devices. It gets converted to a signal which is compatible with a server, for example, Wi-Fi, for sending data to the cloud.
What is a Spreading Factor or SF?
CSS or the Chirp Spread Spectrum technology makes the utilisation of certain “chirps”. These are, in simple terms, signals with a particular frequency that goes in the direction of up or down at various speeds (It is called up-chirp and down-chirp). The role of Spreading Factor or SF, here, is to infer the speed of a chirp.
As high a spreading factor will be, higher will be the range as well as penetration of the broadcast. This would come at the cost of enhanced power consumption. On the other hand, a lesser spreading factor will be faster and it will transmit even more data at the same time as well as bandwidth.
Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN)
LPWAN which is short for a low-power wide-area network is a kind of wireless telecommunication network. It enables connected devices allowing them to have capabilities for long-range communications. This could be possible at less bit rate.
Traditionally, LPWANs (Low-power wide-area networks) are used for monitoring of assets as well as management in the case of smart cities. This also holds true for industrial IoT (Internet of Things) deployments. This network, when juxtaposed, is in slight contrast to the wireless wide-area networks which are originally used by large corporate organisations and companies. These carry more data and they utilise more power as well. Some examples of LPWAN technology are Lora/LoraWAN, Sigfox, MIoTy, Wi-SUN, LTE-M, and NB-IOT.
The operating range of LPWAN technology goes up to ten kilometres. It is a simpler and a lightweight protocol, which is why the devices as well as hardware are inexpensive. The small battery-powered devices, that is, transceivers utilise very less power and this enables them to work for as long as twenty years.
LoRaWAN
The LoRaWAN technology is built on the technique of LoRa radio modulation. It is a low power wide area networking protocol. It connects devices to the internet wirelessly and also regulates communication among network gateways and end-node-devices. The requirement of LoRaWAN in the field of industries and smart cities is very fast increasing. This is because it is highly affordable, long-range and provides bidirectional communication protocol. The consumption of power in this case is also relatively low. These devices can work for good ten years of span.