What Is LoRa Network/Technology?

The Basics of LoRa Technology

LoRa Network and Technology were created by Semtech. The LoRa Networks takes the place of a cellular network and can be used in the public and private sector. LoRa uses a unique combination of long range and low power consumption that gives users better coverage and provides highly secure data transmissions when there is no cellular network or Wi-Fi available. LoRa is also beneficial when someone or a company needs to transfer small amounts of data at a time where it is more important to have better range and security and relies less on how something fast can transfer.

LoRa is generally used by M2M and IoT industries and products. LoRa can be used with many different devices and applications that are all on the same network. Many companies choose to incorporate LoRa into their current infrastructure because it is easy to add in without issue and offers certain customers a better and more reliable experience if they need their systems for IoT-based and battery-operated devices.

LoRa works in combination with LPWAN, also known as a low-power wide area network, which is a particular radio technology that uses radio technology for wireless data communication instead of a cellular network or Wi-Fi. LPWAN has led to the introduction of LoRaWAN. LoRaWAN was born when LoRa Alliance was created to standardize technology in the IoT sphere and to create a specialized system to scale this tech. LoRa Alliance is a non-profit organization. Essentially, LoRaWAN is the new standard that helps companies and devices adopt the LoRa Network efficiently and seamlessly.

How Is LoRa Used?

LoRa is used in many different ways and various industries. LoRa is a complex network with many moving parts, and it can be challenging to understand when you are not familiar with this form of technology. Therefore, it is often the best to explore some real-life example to help solidify your understanding and genuinely understand how technology is applied in the real world.

Farming and Agriculture

Owning a farm is challenging and keeping tabs on all of your farm animals and your fields becomes tedious and require hours of upkeep per day and important issues can often go unnoticed because humans can only do and see so much. To combat this issue, LoRa sensors are placed in each field and can get real-time information on the condition of each field or animal. In return, the farmer can make the most informed and accurate decisions possible in regards to their farm.

For example, a farmer can place a sensor on a field that measures the moisture levels of the soil. From there, they can decide when they need to water their crops and exactly how much water they need to use. Having this knowledge allows for much less water waste. Sensors can even tell when there is a pest issue and the farmer can determine the right course of action before the problem gets out of control.

Parking

Have you ever been to a city on a busy evening or a crowded workday and you struggle to find a parking spot on the street or an available and open parking garage? Most of us know this frustrating feeling and would love to avoid this issue whenever possible. With the use of LoRa, we can see a dramatic decrease, or even a full elimination, of this major parking issue. Sensors and LoRa devices can be placed in parking lots, garages, and on-street parking spots throughout the city. The technology could tell what parking spots in the city are open, show up on a smartphone application, and you can easily navigate to that open spot without driving around aimlessly trying to find something.

Conclusion

These are just two simple and easy to understand examples of how the LoRa Network would make life easier, simpler, and much more efficient in specific industries and everyday life. As time passes, we will see the practical application of LoRa more, changing our lives for the better.