LoRaWAN® Introduction

Alper Yegin
CTO, Actility
Chair of Technical Committee & Vice-Chair of BoD, LoRa Alliance
 Wireless Communication Technology for Massive IoT

• Long range: 2-3 km in dense urban to 600 km in space

• Low power: Consume as little power as a garage door opener (25.5ma TX)

• Unlicensed band: Sub-GHz ISM

• Low cost: Open standard, open-source implementations, inexpensive

base stations ($110 indoor, $700 outdoor)

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 Low-Power & Long-Range

Low power/
Low data rate

2.5/3/4/5G

Long range

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 Range

500-600 km
4 floors

Source: MachineQ

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 Power

Modulation LoRa (spread spectrum)

Frequency Sub-GHz ISM (868/915Mhz)
Channel bandwidth 125-500 KHz
Data rate 300 bps – 50 kbps
Gateway sensitivity -142 dBm/300bps
Range 10+ km, deep indoor coverage
Payload size 51 – 242 bytes (variable)
Battery consumption 4.6mA RX / 25.5mA (14dBm) TX -- 10+ year
Communication type Bi-directional unicast, network multicast
Interference immunity Spread-spectrum w/ Forward Error Correction
Scalability Self-scaling network capability through Adaptive Data Rate
Mobility Roaming, geo-location

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 Technical Limitations

• Low throughput
• Can carry KBs of data per day, but not GB or MB

• No real-time support
• Milliseconds guaranteed latency not possible

…Due to use of sub-GHz ISM regulations

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 LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT

Licensed bands ISM (unlicensed band)

Public networks Public + private + community networks
Emerging deployments Accelerating deployments
… Low-power (1/5th! of NB-IoT)
… Low-cost infra
… Collaborative networking
Real-time …
Higher data-rate (250Kbps) …
Marketing power (GSMA) …
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 Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) Modulation

• Highly immune against

interference and allows
operating at very low SNR
ranges (down to -20dB below
the noise level)
• Spreading is achieved by
generating a chirp signal where
the frequency increases linearly
over time.
• When the maximum frequency
of the band is reached, the
frequency wraps around, and
the increase in frequency starts
again from the minimum
frequency.

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Other Radio Technologies: End-device Locked to a Base Station

Uplink received ✓
✗

NB-IoT/LTE-M/5G/WiFi

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 LoRaWAN: Macro-Diversity (Resilience and Geo-location)

Uplink received ✓
✗
Physical broadcast + TDoA (Time Difference
on Arrival -- nanosec)

No extra hardware or processing cost on

device
Uplink received ✓
à 20-100m accuracy

Uplink received ✓

Advanced features that are

essential for utilities

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 Adaptive Data Rates

14km 10km 8km 6km 4km

r
ai
on
ate e
itr im
B /T
gy
e r
En
Avg bitrate ~1300bps
290bps 530 970

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 Wireless Link-layer Efficiency

Field tests conducted by a Singaporean industrial IoT system integrator

ThingPark LNS

Open Source LNS

Advanced ADR implementation is essential for:

- Reduced packet loss
- Efficient use of GWs (à reduced cost)
- Reduced batter consumption
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 Interference Mitigation

• Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation allows operating at very low SNR ranges (down to
-20dB below the noise level).
• LR-FHSS spreads single transmission into multiple frequencies, with redundant
transmission.
• ISM band use limitations
• Duty cycle, dwell time, LBT
• Multi-channel plans, channel hopping
• Demodulation of different SFs on the same channel
• ADR
• Densified network à reduced TX power, increased DR à reduced collision
• Confirmed UL/DL
• Macro-diversity
• FEC (Forward Error Correction) at app-layer

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 End-to-End Architecture & Stack

Network
Server
(for roaming)

Application Layer Application Layer

LoRaWAN Link Layer LoRaWAN Link

Layer Application
End-Device Regional Parameters Network LoRaWAN Backend Server
EU868 US915 AS923 … Gateway
Server Layers
LoRa Physical Layer

Relay Join
Server

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 Specifications
• Link-layer (TS1: Technical Spec #1)
• Backend Interfaces (TS2)
• Fragmentation (TS4)
• Multicast (TS5)
• Firmware management (TS6)
• IPv6 over LoRaWAN (TS10)
• Relay (TS11)
• App Payload Codec API (TS13)
• Regional Parameters (RP2)
• …

• resources.lora-alliance.org
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 Regional Parameters
• Default (join) channels for dynamic channel plans,
all channels for fixed channel plans
• Duty cycle, dwell time requirement
• Data rates, modulations (LoRa, LR-FHSS, FSK),
maximum payload size
• Data rate backoff table
• Transmission power table
• Join accept channel frequency list format
• L2 command channel mask details
• Downlink channel parameters
• Beacon channel parameters
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 Network Stack

App
Wireless
DLMS app Modbus Zigbee app Proprietary app
UDP/IP M-Bus app
App layer stack app stack stack stacks …
stack
SCHC

Link layer LoRaWAN

Physical layer LoRa

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 End-device Classes

Class name Intended usage

A
Battery-powered sensors, or actuators with no
latency constraint

B
Battery-powered actuators
Slotted communication synchronized with the
network beacon

C
Mains-powered actuators
Listen continuously

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Frame Format

uplink

downlink
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 Security

Backend security
LoRaWAN L2 security (IPsec, TLS, firewall, etc.)

Backend Backend
L2 Application
LoRaWAN integrity integrity
Integrity
Encryption
protection protection Server
protection
+ encryption + encryption
Device

Gateway Network
Server

Mutual end-point authentication

Data origin authentication
Integrity protection FUOTA Hardware-level security
Replay protection + (Firmware Update + (Secure Elements/
Data encryption Over-the-Air) Hardware Security Modules)

…using AES-128 keys and algorithms

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 Firmware Update Over-the-Air (FUOTA)

Security for FUOTA FUOTA for Security

Signed firmware Update device with

software/firmware
Integrity-protected multicast (security) patches in the
delivery (using group key) field

Integrity-protected unicast
commands (using device
key)

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 Organic Growth

Low-cost infra + Unlicensed band à Widespread deployments!

Home Commercial Campus City Country Planet

building

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 Types of Networks

Public networks

Terrestrial
Private networks
Community networks

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 Types of Networks

Public networks

Space
Community networks Private networks

Public networks

Terrestrial
Private networks
Community networks

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 Unification

Collaborative Collaborative
technology ecosystem
LoRaWAN®
Roaming

Simple & scalable

backend
standard
 Coverage Types Network Types

Public network

1. International complementary 3. National overlapping

coverage (extension) coverage (densification)
Private network

Community network

2. National complementary 4. Satellite-terrestrial roaming

coverage (extension)

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 Passive (Transparent) Roaming

Application Server
• Coverage extension

• Coverage densification
• Macro-diversity via Passive Roaming not Home
possible with cellular IoT & Sigfox Network

• Device battery consumption reduction

• Interference reduction
• Network capacity increase
• Geolocation improvement
Visited Networks

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 LPWAN Backbone
Satellite networks Enterprise/private networks Community networks Academic networks Activation servers

Terrestrial public networks

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 Relay

Relaying messages for an end-device Sparse low concentration

behind an extra-thick wall of a building of sensors

AN
LoRaW Gateway

N
aWA Relay
R
Lo lay
LoRaWAN
Re

Relaying messages for City

an end-device
under a deep well
Walk/drive-by reading: Work-in-progress
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 End-to-end IPv6

IP-based app IP-based app

IP IP IP

SCHC SCHC
… …
LoRaWAN LoRaWAN Backend Backend

End-device Network Server Application Server / IP Router IP Node

SCHC: Static Context Header Compression and Fragmentation (RFC 8724 + RFC 9011)

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 Payload Codec API

Binary data JSON data

Payload codec
(JavaScript)

Payload codec Payload codec Payload codec

Standard API Standard API Standard API Implement the codec ONCE,
Application platform Application platform Application platform deploy on ANY application server
(vendor 1) (vendor 2) (vendor 2)

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 Actility: ThingPark & Abeeway

ThingPark
Co-inventor of LoRaWAN
Founding & permanent board member of LoRa Alliance
Chairing Technical Committee
Member with the most technical contributions

Largest R&D among infra vendors

First to implement and deploy almost all new features
(Relay, FUOTA, roaming, Secure Elements, HSM,
standalone Join Server, multicast, Class B, IPv6,
geolocation, high availability, multi-tenancy, network
planning tool, …)

Widest & most mature infra product portfolio

Largest public operator footprint (41K+ base stations)

References: Veolia, Arad, Master Meter, Italgas, Wien

Abeeway Relay Energie, Eskisehir OSB
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Public Operator Users of ThingPark

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Enterprise Users of ThingPark

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Operator Deployments

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Nationwide Coverage

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Community Networks

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 Satellite Networks

• EchoStar Mobile
• Eutelsat
• Lacuna
• …

gricad-gitlab.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/thingsat/public/-
/blob/master/cubesat_mission/README.md#partners 38
 Gateways

Macro-cell Pico-cell Development kit

Cisco, Motorola, Kerlink, Multitech, Tektelic, Gemtek, RAK Wireless, Dragino, …

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 LoRa Alliance

~400 LoRa Alliance™ Members

Sponsor & Contributor Level Members Shown Here
Marketing
Committee

Certification
Committee

Technical
Committee

Amazon, Cisco, Motorola, Orange, SKT, BT, Tata, NTT, Comcast, NEC, Schneider, ST, …

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 LoRaWAN® Recognized as ITU International Standard

• Recommendation ITU-T Y.4480 “Low power protocol for wide area wireless networks”
• Under Study Group 20 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), ITU’s
standardization expert group for “Internet of Things and smart cities and communities.”

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Public info

Birdz-Veolia deploys over 3 million smart water

sensors in France on public LoRaWAN network

Veolia and its subsidiary Birdz are digitizing its water services by connecting over 3
million water meters using LoRaWAN. The goal is to read more than 70% of the
meters in France remotely by 2027. Birdz has chosen OBS and Actility to help it make
a strategic shift from a technology requiring deployment of a radio network
infrastructure to a solution that is open, interoperable and reversible and also a
solution which meets the needs of their customers.

The network currently covers 30,000 municipalities and 95% of the population of
Metropolitan France.

Additional water sensors are scheduled for deployment to transition from pure
metering to environmental services. The end result will be a unified multiservice
connectivity network to support digital transformation of water utilities.

Benefits: improved residents'’ safety and well-being,

reduced costs and more efficient operations

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Public info

ItalGas deploys over 5.5 million LoRaWAN

smart water sensors in Italy

Nimbus, a revolutionary smart meter, launched on November 29th 2023 and designed to
distribute hydrogen, will be installed in 20,000 Italian homes for the first wave of
innovation that will bring them to 5.5 million by 2029.

The device enables Italgas networks to efficiently accommodate, distribute, and measure
various types of gases, including hydrogen and blending among them. Nimbus introduces
groundbreaking features as an H2-ready and tamper-proof meter, equipped with seismic
and temperature sensors to automatically halt gas flow in the event of an earthquake or
fire. Connectivity is provided through LoRaWAN and NB-IoT.

Additionally, the meter utilizes DLMS over LoRaWAN with the support of IP/SCHC
transport. Notably, the development of SCHC, a compression technology, was spearheaded
by Acklio, which became part of Actility in July 2023.

Benefits: versatility in gas distribution, reduced costs

and more efficient operations, safety enhancements

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 Public info

Wien Energie is deploying LoRaWAN

network across Vienna

Wien Energie is Austria’s largest regional energy provider and in addition to electricity,
heating and cooling, also provides electromobility and telecommunications services.

Wien Energie and Actility announced a strategic partnership to deploy a LoRaWAN network
in Vienna. This initiative falls in line with Vienna’s digital strategy, aiming to position Vienna
as the most livable and smartest city in the world. The project leans into the city’s
commitment to human digitalization, ensuring the technology supports its residents rather
than displacing them.

Through deploying LoRaWAN technology, the company plans to reduce its energy
requirements. Furthermore, it aligns with their ambition to achieve net carbon zero by 2040.

operational
Benefit: To coststhe
make Vienna savings
most with
livable and smartest city in
significantly
the reduced
world while search
achieving nettime
carbon zero target by 2040

44
Public info

Smart street lighting in Montevideo,

Uruguay, with NNNCo
NNNCo, operator of the Australian national LoRaWAN® network powered by Actility,
has signed a contract with a European technology provider Wellness TechGroup, to
provide IoT network coverage to 70,000 smart streetlights in Uruguay’s capital
Montevideo, based on ThingPark Enterprise, and managed on customer premises.

Wellness TechGroup will roll out 70,000 Actis Plus Nema 7 LCP nodes for remote
control of light points, providing real-time information on all the data from the
intelligent public lighting service.

The project will cover 200 square kilometers with 80 LoRaWAN gateways and provide
smart street lighting to more than 1.3 million people, improving community and road
safety, and reducing carbon emissions by up to 80%. It will be integrated with other
urban smart applications like waste management and water conservation.

operational
Benefit: reduced costs savings
maintenance with
costs and environmental
significantly
impact, reduced
improved search
service time
efficiency

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Public info

Smart Grid Monitoring in New Zealand

with Powerco
Powerco, a utility company operating New Zealand’s second largest electricity
distribution network, deployed a large-scale LoRaWAN® network using a fully secured
private instance of ThingPark® Enterprise platform for 200 gateways. Powerco grid
represents 28,000 kilometers of overhead lines and underground cables.

Sensors are placed on power poles, lines and transformers, some in remote or
challenging terrain, to detect malfunctions in real-time on various sections of the grid
and therefore to ensure the power network is safe, secure and resilient.

Sensors are monitoring fault, performance and metering information, allowing to

more easily detect and locate power outages, identify underperforming assets, and
understand power demand. It also means sending field crews to remote locations for
routine checks on equipment will no longer be necessary.

operational
Benefit: improved costs reliability
safety, savings with
and efficiency of the
significantly
network reduced search time
for customers

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Public info

Gas Metering in one of the largest industrial

clusters in Turkiye with Midsoft
Midsoft L.T.D., a leading Turkish Industry 4.0 solutions provider, SI and an Actility
Solution Partner, is deploying a large IoT project in the Eskişehir Organized Industrial
Zone (EOIZ, in Turkish “EOSB”).

The IoT network, based on Actility’s ThingPark Enterprise IoT platform, managed on
customer premises. covers 32 km² for monitoring and tracking of the gas usage (700
factories).

This project allows to accelerate the digital transformation of industrial organizations,

and to increase the competitiveness of enterprises. Understanding gas consumption
in a precise way will allow to optimize its usage, understand trends and reduce billing
costs by eliminating manual meter readings and reading errors.

operational
Benefit: gas costs savingsreduction
usage optimization, with of costs and
significantly
digital reduced search
transformation time operations
improving

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Public info

Smart Water Management in Brunei with

Anian and IoThink
Anian, a Brunei-based IoT solutions provider, is deploying a LoRaWAN® network
throughout the Sultanate of Brunei, serving the country’s government, universities
and private sector to improve the management of cities, environment and agriculture,
monitoring river water levels, wastewater pumping stations, water quality and
infrastructure, based on ThingPark Enterprise, with 25-30 gateways with a goal of
200, and with the app provided by IoThink Solutions.

The solution allows predictive maintenance on sewage pumping stations via

continuous measurement of pump vibrations, the use of floats and LoRaWAN
ultrasonic sensors. A pump costs between 50,000 and 100,000 euros and can break if
not monitored. Moreover, sensors in the pipes and water towers alert for quality
issues and leaks. The absence of copper cables allows to save dozens of thousands of
dollars on each installation, avoiding all theft risks.

operational
Benefit: improved costs savings
services, with
reduced maintenance costs,
significantly
reduced risksreduced
of lossessearch time
and theft

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 Try!

+ several others

1 2 3 4
Get a LoRaWAN device Get a LoRaWAN gateway Create free account on community.thingpark.org, Visualize data on an
(market.thingpark.com) (market.thingpark.com, and access ThingPark Enterprise (Network Server) application platform
EU868, pre-configured for
“ThingPark Community“ or
supporting Basic Station) 49
[email protected]

Q&A!