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LPWAN

LPWAN

LoRa, short for "Low-power Wide-area Network" (LPWAN or LPWA network), is a wireless communication network designed for long-range and low-bit rate connectivity.

These key attributes make LPWAN attractive to use for battery-operated sensors and connected objects.

  • Long range: The operating range of LPWAN technology varies from a few kilometers in urban areas to over 10 km in rural settings. It can also enable effective data communication in previously infeasible indoor and underground locations.
  • Low power: Optimized for power consumption, LPWAN transceivers can run on small, inexpensive batteries for up to 20 years.
  • Low cost: LPWAN's simplified, lightweight protocols reduce complexity in hardware design and lower device costs. Its long range combined with a star topology reduce expensive infrastructure requirements, and the use of license-free or licensed bands reduce network costs.

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A LPWAN may be used to create a private wireless sensor network, but may also be a service or infrastructure offered by a third party, allowing the owners of sensors to deploy them in the field without investing in gateway technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LPWAN

LoRaWAN is one of the protocols competing with several standards and vendors in the LPWAN space.