Lora

What is it?

Lora (Long Range) is a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technology. It is based on spread spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum (CSS) technology.[1][2] It was developed by Cycleo of Grenoble, France and acquired by Semtech the founding member of the LoRa Alliance.

LoraWAN defines the communication protocol and system architecture for the network, 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. The network server filters duplicate packets, performs security checks, and manages the network. Data is then forwarded to application servers. The technology shows high reliability for the moderate load, however, it has some performance issues related to sending acknowledgements.

Features of Lora

• Lora uses license-free sub-gigahertz radio frequency bands like 433 MHz, 868 MHz (Europe), 915 MHz (Australia and North America) and 923 MHz (Asia). Lora enables long-range transmissions (more than 10 km in rural areas) with low power consumption.[4] The technology covers the physical layer, while other technologies and protocols such as LoraWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) cover the upper layers.
• In January 2018, new Lora chipsets were announced, with reduced power consumption, increased transmission power, and reduced size compared to older generation.
• Lora devices have geolocation capabilities used for triangulating positions of devices via timestamps from gateways.
• Lora and LoraWAN permit long-range connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices in different types of industries.