The LoRaWAN protocol controls communication between battery-powered LoRa devices and gateways. LoRaWAN networks function wirelessly and fulfill one of the central requirements for IoT technologies. In Europe, the frequency band from 433.05 to 434.79 MHz (ISM band region 1) and from 863 to 870 MHz (SRD band) is approved for LoRa communication.
In North America, the frequency band from 902 to 928 MHz (ISM band region 2) is available. The frequency spread, based on the Chirp Spread Spectrum modulation, enables high efficiency in data transfer and low energy consumption. At the same time, the modulation used minimizes interference.
Communication from the end device to the gateway and to the application server is encrypted on two levels. Firstly, the protocol level from the end device to the network server, and secondly, the data level (payload) from the end device to the application server (end-to-end).
The History of LoRaWAN
The development work that ultimately led to LoRa began in France in 2009. The founders of LoRa used Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation technology, a technology that is widely used in the maritime industry for sonar devices and in aviation for radar devices.
LoRa is actually just a combination of the two English words ‘Long’ and ‘Range’, but was nevertheless registered as a trademark by Semtech in 2012. LoRa therefore stands for ‘long range’.