LoRaWAN or Cellular Connectivity?
This is every developer’s first question when considering a new IoT device or use case. LoRa technology has a lot of advantages—it offers low-power, wide-area network connectivity on an unlicensed spectrum at a low cost for both the device and the connectivity.
On the downside, LoRa can only cope with low volumes of traffic. It’s a crowded spectrum, which can make it noisy, and, in most cases, the user needs to build their own network. These downsides are easily manageable in small areas—for instance, a farm with water-monitoring sensors or a warehouse tracking refrigeration status. But when the use case requires more data, more mobility, or more scale, LoRa becomes a problem. Even with companies like Helium using blockchain to build wider LoRa networks, with over 1mn endpoints or gateways, the coverage and reliability at scale aren’t there.
Low-power cellular connectivity, dominated by CAT-M and NB-IoT protocols are cellular options that have been very successful, facilitated by most mobile operators. The cellular chip is higher than the LoRa chip. Traditionally connectivity cost is higher than deploying a LoRaWAN network.
When a company wants to deploy a global solution, there is friction involved in getting a contract in each country. Monogoto removes the need for complex, expensive negotiations and contracts with multiple operators. However, cellular coverage has dead zones, particularly in large countries where the result is that devices aren’t always tracked and monitored.
This challenge is why we are so excited to partner with RAKwireless to create a module that comes prepared to offer both LoRa and cellular connectivity.
By having both, developers have options, and we can facilitate a wider range of use cases, more coverage, and, of course, enhanced reliability of coverage.
Combined LoRaWAN and cellular devices lower the barrier for