LoRaWAN Gateways

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a low-power, wide-area networking protocol designed for wireless battery-operated devices. It enables long-range communication over large areas, consuming minimal power, making it ideal for IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

LoRaWAN is an open standard, managed by the LoRa Alliance, which is a non-profit organization that promotes and develops the technology. There are many LoRaWAN-compatible devices and solutions available from a variety of vendors, making it a popular choice for IoT applications.

LoRaWAN is a Media Access Control (MAC) layer protocol specifically designed to operate on top of the LoRa modulation technique. The core function of LoRaWAN is to manage the complexity of bi-directional communication between devices and the LoRaWAN network. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how LoRaWAN works:

Architecture and Components

1. End Devices: These are sensors or other IoT devices that collect and transmit data. They come in three classes:

   • Class A: Devices communicate only after they have transmitted data, optimizing battery life.
   • Class B: Similar to Class A but with scheduled receive windows.
   • Class C: Continuously listening for messages, suitable for applications with frequent communication needs, but with higher power consumption.

2. LoRaWAN Gateways: These devices act as bridges between end devices and the network server. They receive signals from end devices and forward them to the network server via standard IP connections. Gateways can handle multiple frequencies and data rates simultaneously, managing bidirectional communication.

3. Network Server: This server orchestrates overall network management, including deduplication of messages, managing adaptive data rate (ADR), and ensuring the efficient operation of the network.

4. Application Server: This server processes and utilizes the data collected from end devices, providing interfaces for data visualization and integration with other systems.

Communication

LoRaWAN employs a star-of-stars topology where end devices communicate directly with gateways. This direct communication, enabled by LoRa’s long-range capability, eliminates the need for mesh networking and reduces the power consumption of end devices.

Protocol and Modulation

LoRa modulation, based on Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS), allows for robust long-range communication with low power usage. LoRaWAN uses this modulation technique at the physical layer and builds a MAC layer protocol on top to handle message timing, format, and error-checking.

Adaptive Data Rate (ADR)

LoRaWAN uses adaptive data rate mechanisms to optimize data rates, transmission power, and time-on-air for each device, maximizing battery life and network capacity. Devices can dynamically adjust data rates based on network conditions and communication distance, enhancing performance and reliability.

Security

Security in LoRaWAN is ensured through AES-128 encryption with two main keys:

• Network Session Key: Ensures secure communication between the device and the network server.
• Application Session Key: Ensures the integrity and confidentiality of data between the device and the application server.

Deployment and Use Cases

LoRaWAN’s low power, long range, and high capacity make it ideal for various applications, such as smart city infrastructure, agricultural monitoring, industrial IoT solutions, and environmental monitoring. Its ability to operate on license-free bands further facilitates widespread adoption.

In summary, LoRaWAN provides a robust and scalable networking solution that leverages the LoRa modulation technique to offer low-power, long-range communication tailored for IoT applications, supported by a well-defined architecture and secure protocols

LoRaWAN gateways are your secure link between data and servers. Thousands of devices can run off a single gateway if needed. The benefit of the LoRaWAN gateways is that they provide everything you need to create a complete IoT network.

LoRaWAN gateways serve as the interface between the end devices and the network server. They play a critical role in ensuring that data from IoT devices reaches the network server for processing and routing to the appropriate application servers. Here’s a detailed overview of how LoRaWAN gateways access the network:

Components of a LoRaWAN Gateway

1. Radio Transceiver: Capable of receiving LoRa signals transmitted by end devices on various frequencies and data rates.
2. Network Interface: Typically, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular connection to forward data to the network server.
3. Processing Unit: To handle packet decoding, transmission scheduling, and local operations if needed.

How Gateways Access the Network

1. Receiving LoRa Signals

• Listening for Signals: Gateways continuously listen on multiple channels and frequencies for LoRa signals from end devices. This multi-channel capability allows them to process messages from various devices simultaneously.
• Packet Decoding: Upon receiving a signal, the gateway decodes the LoRa modulation to retrieve the data packet. This data may include sensor measurements, device status, or control commands.

2. Forwarding Data to the Network Server

• Packet Forwarding: The decoded data packets are encapsulated in IP packets and forwarded to the network server. This forwarding can occur over multiple types of Internet connections:
  • Ethernet: Often used in fixed installations with wired network availability.
  • Wi-Fi: Suitable for flexible deployments where wireless network infrastructure is available.
  • Cellular (3G/4G/5G): Ideal for remote or mobile installations where wired or Wi-Fi connectivity is not practical .

3. Network Server Communication

• Data Decapsulation: Upon receiving data from the gateway, the network server decapsulates the IP packets to retrieve the original LoRaWAN data.
• Data Processing: The network server handles tasks such as deduplication (when multiple gateways receive the same message), frame counter checking, and decryption using the appropriate network session keys.

Dusun LoRaWAN Gateway now supports ChirpStack, The Things Network, AWS IoT Core LoRaWAN

The LoRaWAN gateway now supports Class A, Class C lorawan sub-device connections

The gateway has a local Luci HTTP server configuration page for customers to configure the selected platform

If the demand reaches a certain value, Dusun can assist in customizing the customer’s own logo.

Sample orders generally ship within 3-10 days. For mass production orders, delivery is generally arranged within 4-6 weeks from the payment date. If there is custom demand, the time negotiated by both parties shall prevail. The transportation method generally adopts UPS logistics by default, and customers can communicate with the sales person in charge if they have specific needs.

Theoretical amount: assuming the amount of data packets a single LoRaWAN gateway receives  per day is A, and the packet frequency of each node is B data packets per hour. The theoretical maximum number of nodes that may be supported by a single gateway is computed as S=A/(24* B).

Actual amount: The real value of the maximum nodes that a single gateway can support is far more difficult than the theoretical figure. The maximum amount of data packets a gateway may receive per day is known, but the challenge resides in how many packets each node delivers each day.

In the same application, the overall amount of data sent from the nodes every day is known, but the packet length and transmission rate will be transferred are unknown. If the packet length varies, the number of packets transmitted must also vary. Therefore, it is recommended to consult with our FAE engineers regarding the network capacity of LoRaWAN gateways.