The mobile network 5G is a hot topic right now in the public discourse, including costly auctions and a discussion about whether or not “every backwater needs 5G”. The subject LoRaWAN fades into the background although it could be considered as an alternative. WiriTec GmbH sees potential in the new technology and has been looking into this technology for quite some time because of the various possibilities and advantages.
LoRaWAN
What is LoRaWAN?
Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a system of servers, gateways and nodes as well as the equivalent protocol for radio links. This system works in a frequency range (ISM band) that is also used for baby phones or radio thermometers.
One of the advantages is that LoRaWAN can be used all over Germany without causing any costs for the mobile network services. Moreover, the gateway — which receives data from sensors and forwards it — can have a coverage of many kilometres depending on the standard (we had a range of 25 km in our test). Additionally, the sensors have a very low energy demand and batteries can run for years. Furthermore, permeation is very good since even thick concrete walls are no problem for LoRaWAN. There is quite a variety of application scenarios for the network that can be realized with a similar variety of nodes. The offer including indoor climate sensors, rating buttons, presence sensors and much more provides a whole series of application options. These range from Smart Cities use cases via mobile applications as well as retrofits for buildings and technical facilities, which make LoRaWAN a decisive player in the Internet of Things (IoT).
Our offer
Thanks to our more than ten years’ experience in capturing and analyzing huge amounts of data, we are in an excellent position to adequately support you in your LoRaWAN projects. Our specialists are happy to advise you in the selection of appropriate hardware, in setting up the requested infrastructure, or just provide useful expert knowledge and expertise about this new technology. As the sensors and other devices providing measuring values typically generate huge amounts of data, appropriate methods and tools are required to be able to filter out the actually important information from the data jungle. In this context, we can benefit from our long-term experience and apply a series of specific sets of rules implemented that initially check incoming raw messages and data, filter duplicates, and classify them according to priority or other categories. Thus, the important and useful information is extracted from the data jungle and transferred to the proper destination.
However, preparation and subsequent display of data is only the first part of the challenge. It is getting very interesting once the sensor data flow into subsequent processes such as ticketing or also maintenance. In this field, we are closely cooperating with our sister company speedikon FM AG to be able to provide you comprehensive support from data capturing up to its utilization in subsequent processes.
speedikon’s long term process expertise comes into action at the point when data needs to be incorporated into technical business processes within the enterprise. Thanks to highly flexible rule sets, incoming messages are automatically assigned to the correct technical equipment, and then transferred to the responsible person in charge. Or respective subsequent processes can be initiated based on comprehensive monitoring. Thanks to our combined expertise generated in both companies over time, we ensure that captured data will effectively support existing processes and thus deliver maximum added value.
We are looking forward to hearing from you in case you take interest in LoRaWAN, or if you would like to contact us for a project realization.