One of the most common requests we get from teams building connected products is how our cellular modules compare to LoRaWAN.The discussion is often heavily based around a technical comparison between LoRaWAN and cellular connectivity. The technical side is important, but it&#39;s the wrong place to start.It&#39;s far more useful to start with a clear understanding of the problem you&#39;re trying to solve, and then evaluating the tech. LoRaWAN and cellular aren&#39;t direct 1-1 replacements for each other, so it&#39;s critical to understand how the tech you choose supports your business case.In this article, we&#39;ll explain what LoRaWAN actually is, how it compares to cellular connectivity, and how you can work backward from your business need and use case to find the right connectivity tech for your product.<h1>What is LoRaWAN?</h1>LoRaWAN is a low-power, long range, low data rate wireless protocol. It runs on 900MHz in the Americas/ANZ and 868MHz in Europe/Asia. To access these networks, no SIM card is required&mdash;just a LoRaWAN radio and unique ID.There are two kinds of LoRaWAN networks:<ul><li>Private: a customer sets up their own network (e.g. a mine or farm)</li><li>Public: a customer uses a network that was set up by a Network Operator (Actility, Senet, et al)</li></ul>So it&rsquo;s like a combination of:<ul><li>The range of a good walkie-talkie</li><li>The speed of dial-up internet</li><li>The power efficiency of an LED headlamp</li></ul><h3>LoRa vs. LoRaWAN</h3>This is not to be confused with deployments using LoRa in point-to-point or local mesh configuration, which do not require expensive LoRaWAN base station infrastructure and system costs.While LoRaWAN is a connectivity solution used in lieu of a cellular connection to the internet, in point-to-point/mesh deployments, simple LoRa radio modules with sensors can be paired with Particle modules to provide a fully-networked solution.LoRa sensors can be distributed over a wide area and uplink to a Particle device paired with a LoRa module acting as a gateway node. The Particle gateway bridges the LoRa network to the internet via its cellular (or possibly WiFi) connection to the cloud.This LoRa + Particle architecture is useful for installations where:<ul><li>There is a lack of reliable cellular connectivity over the area but certain spot locations do work optimally</li><li>There are requirements for numerous simple and very low power IoT devices in relative proximity (e.g. 100s to 1000s of feet apart over acres of land)</li></ul>This configuration is fairly well supported via Particle community efforts, for example: <a href="https://community.particle.io/t/long-range-iot-networks-chapter-2-particle-lora-better-together/62991/1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Long Range IoT Networks - Chapter 2 | Particle + LoRa Better together</a><h3>How Does LoRaWAN Work?</h3><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1686319918679-lorawan_diagram.webp" style="width: 765px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: Semtech, Indianapolis Bootcamp 2018&nbsp;<h1 id="isPasted">Common LoRaWAN Use Cases</h1>LoRaWAN has been adopted for a wide variety of IoT use cases. Here are a few well known ones:<ul><li>Smart cities. There&rsquo;s an integral role for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.particle.io/iot-guides-and-resources/smart-cities-iot/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">IoT in smart cities</a>, such as monitoring connected infrastructure, utilities, parking management, air quality measurement, etc.</li><li>Smart grids. The foundation of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.particle.io/iot-guides-and-resources/iot-smart-grid-applications-benefits-and-use-cases/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">smart grid is IoT</a>. LoRaWAN is used for connecting densely-deployed electric meters, EV chargers, battery monitors, etc. in urban and suburban areas.</li><li>Agriculture. Livestock, crop, and soil monitoring are common agricultural IoT use cases. LoRaWAN is used to collect high volumes of data, aggregate them via a gateway, and send it to the cloud for analysis.</li></ul><h1>Cellular vs. LoRaWAN - Economic and Tech Perspectives</h1>When we speak to companies that are trying to compare Particle&rsquo;s cellular devices to LoRaWAN technologies, they often want to discuss the technology first.&nbsp;But this is a mistake.In our experience, it&rsquo;s best to&nbsp;start with a strong understanding of the business problems to be solved, the volume and frequency of data required to generate value, and the environments in which a product will be operating. The answers to those questions and the analysis to get there should then be used to drive technology selection.The unit economics are quite different when comparing a cellular and LoRaWAN connectivity solution.While LoRaWAN may appear attractive due to its lower operating cost when compared to cellular deployments,&nbsp;the two technologies solve fundamentally different problems and are not direct replacements for each other.Allowing cost to drive technology selection is a decision that may actually increase costs in the long run, as the solution may not solve the problems it is intended to, or may be inflexible and not be able to be applied to new business needs as they come up.In this section, we&rsquo;ll look at both the economic and technical comparisons between cellular connectivity&mdash;via the Particle platform&mdash;and a public-network LoRaWAN offering.<h1>LoRaWAN vs. Cellular (Particle) - A Quick Comparison</h1><table id="isPasted"><thead><tr><th> </th><th>LoRaWAN</th><th>Particle</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Profile</td><td>Deployments of relatively high density/lower cost assets (individual sensors and meters)</td><td>Deployments of relatively lower density, higher cost assets (vehicles, controllers, instrumentation)</td></tr><tr><td>Bandwidth</td><td>Low. Best suited for small, infrequent bursts of data. Higher bandwidth needs like OTAs can be challenging.</td><td>Medium. Communication through the Particle cloud is limited to 1024 characters of JSON per Data Operation, and can operate as fast as 1 Data Operation per second per device. OTAs are separate from Data Operations, and are included free in all of Particle&#39;s packages.</td></tr><tr><td>Connectivity Module Cost</td><td>$8-10/module, plus board, MCU, antenna, etc.</td><td>$50-75 all in</td></tr><tr><td>Recurring Cost</td><td>$200-500/mo/gateway</td><td>$2-10/mo/device</td></tr><tr><td>Power Consumption</td><td>Very Low. Best when multiple years of battery life is required.</td><td>Medium to Low. Best for use cases where power is consistently or intermittently available.</td></tr><tr><td>Security</td><td>Good. Uses 128-bit AES for network and application session keys</td><td>Best. Cellular providers use robust and proven encryption and authentication standards at the network level. SIM cards are highly secure. Particle implements public-private key encryption using AES-256 keys for communication between the edge and the cloud.</td></tr><tr><td>Coverage</td><td>Highly region and operator dependent. Operators include Senet, Actility, The Things Network, Machine Q, Helium, and SigFox</td><td>The Particle MVNO offers connectivity from over 200+ providers worldwide. Most countries are supported by more than one operator, and the best operator is automatically selected by a given device.</td></tr><tr><td>Latency</td><td>Variable. Best suited for very simple devices with payloads of a few 10&#39;s of bytes and a publish interval of many minutes. Many free networks limit the total air time per device per day. Latency may also depend on network congestion and utilization.</td><td>Low Federated infrastructure ensures devices have connectivity and uptime.</td></tr><tr><td>Reliability</td><td>Variable. LoRaWAN is subject to jamming and interference, especially in urban environments, as it operates on public frequency bands. Uses shared infrastructure and devices can broadcast at any time, so interference can cause messages to drop unexpectedly.</td><td>High. Cellular networks are highly reliable and available. Particle offers automatic retry mechanisms for data sent between edge and cloud. Particle also offers first-party support for cellular issues, and has active fleet monitoring services for enterprise clients.</td></tr><tr><td>Scalability</td><td>Low. Challenges include a lack of coordination by nodes (can broadcast over each other) and shared frequency spectrum. This limits the number of nodes each gateway can support and the amount of aggregate bandwidth a particular network has available.</td><td>High. Cellular devices operate on the same infrastructure as cell phones do, which is consistently maintained and upgraded by providers. Access to the infrastructure is federated and controlled so all devices are given equitable spectrum and bandwidth to operate.</td></tr><tr><td>Certification</td><td>DIY. Certification by the LoRa Alliance is your responsibility, but is not required by all public networks. Additionally, the spectrum is shared with non-LoRa devices that may or may not be certified. If other devices perform poorly on the spectrum, it may interfere with your devices&#39; ability to communicate reliably.</td><td>Pre-Certified. Certification is required for all devices operating on cellular networks and licensed spectrum. You can have confidence that cellular devices will be &quot;good neighbors&quot; to your devices on the network as a result. Particle modules come pre-certified, limiting the amount of certification work your engineers have to do.</td></tr></tbody></table><h1>Aligning Connectivity Tech to Asset Value and Unit Economics</h1>As a general rule of thumb, here is how you can ensure the connectivity tech you choose makes sense for your use case and business model.<h3>LoRaWAN</h3>LoRaWAN is a good fit when the value of a single monitored device is low, but the value of collecting data from hundreds of devices is high, as it is in use cases like soil sensing, metering, etc. It&rsquo;s also best if you&rsquo;re charging a recurring fee for the data-in-aggregate, rather than per asset.For example, LoRaWAN makes more sense for getting a weather data stream across 100 distributed stations in the Permian Basin, vs. an eBike where a single asset generates revenue.<h3>Cellular</h3>Cellular is a good fit for when the connected asset(s) are high value because they&rsquo;re either generating revenue during operation or their failure would result in some kind of cost such as a fine, service call/truck roll, or unplanned equipment breakdown. It&rsquo;s also a good fit for when each deployed product can earn subscription revenue with a substantial margin.<h1>Connectivity Technology Selection and Its Impact on Product Functionality and Performance</h1>In this section, we&rsquo;ll break down some of the key components of each connectivity technology and explain how it will impact your product&rsquo;s functionality, performance, and cost.<h3>Spectrum</h3>LoRaWAN relies on the public spectrum that anyone can use. That leaves devices that use LoRaWAN susceptible to interference from other devices using the public spectrum.In areas where lots of devices are using LoRaWAN, you&rsquo;ll likely struggle to keep your devices reliably connected. This interference may increase over time as well, as more and more devices are deployed on to the spectrum.On the other hand, cellular providers purchase blocks of the radio spectrum. They own the series of frequencies on their block of the spectrum, and have a vested interest in maintaining and protecting it. Even though the cellular carriers essentially have a monopoly, the federated nature of cellular systems means that the carriers will maintain the infrastructure to ensure high performance and availability.We liken the difference between cellular and LoRaWAN to the difference between a mixed-use walking path and a highway.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1686319961376-02-Wireless-Data-Highway_Particle.webp" style="width: 765px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The federated nature of cellular technology also provides an opportunity for a centralized support system. This enables faster response times in the event of an outage or other disruption.Particle offers such a centralized support system. In addition to having access to Tier 1 support lines as a result of our large aggregate cellular fleet size, Particle also layers on additional support offerings for our customers. For example, we monitor all of our customer fleets for signs of a provider outage, and often are able to call you before you notice your devices are offline.<h3>Ease of Use</h3>While you can connect to public LoRaWAN networks, you may also need to set up your own via a company like Senet or Actility. Overall, LoRaWAN is generally fairly easy to set up, and many companies provide support to set up your deployment.Cellular, while introducing some complexity to connected products, is getting easier and easier to manage. No longer do you have to deal directly with cellular carriers who may not serve your service area. You can work with MVNOs that make it so you can deploy widely without worrying about coverage.Additionally, you can work with an IoT PaaS provider like Particle that offers a connectivity management solution&mdash;Particle Connectivity&mdash;so you don&rsquo;t have to worry about negotiating with carriers, coverage, support, or even provisioning your SIMs. With Particle, devices will connect to the best available carrier right out of the box.<h3>Vendor Risk</h3>The technology behind LoRaWAN is all owned by a single company. When you choose a LoRaWAN solution, you purchase their IP, which may be licensed to a number of other chip vendors and platform providers. This represents business risk and is a single point of failure in your supply chain. They can raise prices at any time, leaving you with no alternatives, or they could shut down the business.Cellular technology, while still being fairly concentrated with a few big players across the stack, still gives you options. The underlying technology is based on standards that are designed and ratified by multiple companies around the world. As a result, there are many silicon manufacturers, MVNOs, IoT solutions, etc. that reduce your dependence on a single vendor.Particle leverages this optionality in its supply chain in order to provide the highest quality products and reduce risk in the event that a particular cellular module becomes unavailable. Learn more about how our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.particle.io/supply-secure/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Supply Secure program</a> can solidify your supply chain and ensure you have devices when you need them.<h3>Power Usage</h3>One of the advantages of LoRaWAN is that it&rsquo;s a low-power technology to the point that devices can run on coin cell batteries. Depending on your use case, this can be a major advantage, but it is worth noting that if you try to increase the power or range, battery life is significantly threatened.Cellular devices do tend to consume more power, but offer more range and bandwidth via the networks. Additionally, Particle&rsquo;s cellular devices offer several options for power management, including sleep modes. Learn more about how Particle makes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.particle.io/iot-guides-and-resources/low-power-iot/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">low-power IoT</a> possible.<h3>Device Concentration</h3>LoRaWAN is a useful solution for when you need to have a high number of devices in a concentrated area. Each of the devices can connect to a single gateway and transmit data to the cloud.Cellular connectivity suffers when too many devices are trying to connect to the same tower at the same time. If your use case requires a high concentration of devices, you&rsquo;ll have to factor that into your decision.For example, livestock tracking for a herd of cattle means you&rsquo;ll have hundreds or thousands of devices in a particular area. LoRaWAN allows you to track them by transmitting location data from the edge to a gateway, and then to the cloud without sacrificing connectivity. Cellular devices in this use case may drop connectivity due to the concentration of devices.<h1>Choosing Between LoRaWAN and Particle</h1>Ultimately, the choice of connectivity technologies should be informed by your use case and business model. If the benefits and features enabled by connectivity&mdash;whether through cost savings or subscription revenue&mdash;don&rsquo;t allow you to make a significant enough margin on your product, the low cost of LoRaWAN may make sense.If you&rsquo;re able to generate enough economic value with a connected product to drive favorable unit economics, and you need more performance from a power and bandwidth perspective, cellular connectivity via a dedicated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.particle.io/platform/particle-iot-platform-as-a-service/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">IoT Platform-as-a-Service</a> is the way.

When deciding if cellular connectivity or LoRaWAN is right for your IoT project, it helps to start with the use case and work backward to the tech. This guide will give you what you need to know to do just that.

Cellular vs. LoRaWAN for IoT Deployments: Why The Business Case Matters More Than The Tech

During Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, IoT Stars gathered the biggest players in IoT to discuss how to bring the pieces together and start making an impact that will shape the industry. <a href="https://iotstars.com" target="_blank">IoT Stars</a>, a community of IoT professionals focused on sharing knowledge and experiences, welcomed entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, investors and press from the IoT ecosystem.For the eighth annual installment of the event, IoT Stars brought together some of the top experts to discuss how to make a lasting impact.<h2 dir="ltr">Bringing all the pieces together</h2>The Internet of Things (IoT) industry is a dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape, with fast-falling pieces that need to be positioned intelligently in order to realize IoT use cases that generate value.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzgyOTQzMDAyLV9BNzQ4NjYwLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">IoT Stars presenting IoTetrisThe pioneering work has been done as all individual IoT components are available as of today. Cellular connectivity is provided by innovative MVNOs like Soracom and IoT Creators. Or connectivity can be realized by building private networks using existing hardware from companies like RAKwireless and MultiTech in combination with software tools from Monogoto. Easy-to-implement antennas from Ignion and off-the-shelf hardware with advanced sensing capabilities from Kallipr are within our reach.<h2 dir="ltr">Making an impact in the IoT playfield</h2>A panel of experts discussed how we&rsquo;re making an impact as an industry and many agree that our biggest impacts lie in our customers&rsquo; success. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerhard-loots-298bb93/?originalSubdomain=au" target="_blank">Gerhard Loots</a> from <a href="https://kallipr.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kallipr</a> shared a water utility business case that saved 250 million liters of water, and a rail track company that increased efficiency by $25 million in six months. &ldquo;That&#39;s not about our win. It&#39;s about their win&rdquo;, he concluded.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzgzNDEyNzM4LV9BNzQ4ODczLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Left to right: Jaap Groot, Daniel Quant, Gerhard Loots, Nicolas Lesconnec, Christine Perey<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineperey/?originalSubdomain=ch" target="_blank">Christine Perey</a>, who moderated the panel discussion, believes that sharing our successes is what will have the biggest impact on the future. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want competitors to know about the advantage that we&rsquo;ve gained through the adoption of new technology. We have great success stories, but can&#39;t talk about them. We can&#39;t give data and yet the data is the thing that&#39;s going to really convince the next customer. So how do we address that?&rdquo;<h2 dir="ltr">There is impact, but why don&rsquo;t we see it?</h2>The IoT impact and use cases are clearly there &mdash; and there are many more examples &mdash; but they&rsquo;re just not always being shared. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaslesconnec/?originalSubdomain=fr" target="_blank">Nicolas Lesconnec</a> from <a href="https://www.soracom.io" target="_blank">Soracom</a> believes one reason for this is that proven use cases are often not specifically IoT success stories. &ldquo;IoT is just one of the Tetris blocks. I love to speak about the IoT success story, but from the customer&rsquo;s point of view, IoT is just one tiny part of it.&rdquo;IoT antenna supplier&nbsp;<a href="https://ignion.io" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Ignion</a>&nbsp;is providing solutions that simplify hardware development and pave the way for the creation of maximum value. &ldquo;How we measure impact is simply by success, by the value that we can bring, and by what customers tell us,&rdquo; says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/grootjaap/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Jaap Groot</a>. &ldquo;At the end of the day, 30 million+ antennas for products that are communicating today over networks... for us, that&#39;s impact. Nobody wants to talk about it: &lsquo;It&#39;s my big secret how I designed my device. It&#39;s so special that I don&#39;t want anybody to have this.&rsquo; We have to talk about success stories.&rdquo;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danquant/" target="_blank">Daniel Quant</a> from <a href="https://www.multitech.com" target="_blank">Multitech</a>, which fulfilled a hand sanitizing solution of 6 million units last year, warned that &ldquo;when somebody in a segment does something disruptive, it doesn&#39;t take long before other companies follow.&rdquo;<h2 dir="ltr">Use cases of the future</h2>In order to show the innovative use cases that are shaping the future, IoT Stars invited leading companies to showcase real products that are on the market today.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzgzNjk2OTcwLV9BNzQ4NzA1LmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Laurens Slats (left) in conversation with Itamar Kunik from Monogoto<a href="https://monogoto.io" target="_blank">Monogoto</a> set out to simplify connectivity, recognizing that innovation lies in simplifying processes for developers. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/itamar-kunik-0142031/?originalSubdomain=il" target="_blank">Itamar Kunik</a> called it &lsquo;the network for developers, by developers&rsquo; during a demonstration of a hybrid LTE solution the organization created using <a href="https://www.rakwireless.com/en-us" target="_blank">RAKwireless</a>&rsquo; 5G small cell. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmarcelino/?originalSubdomain=uk" target="_blank">Jose Marcelino</a> from RAKwireless added that private network solutions empower developers and organizations with a firmer grip on their own infrastructure.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzgzNzM5NDAwLV9BNzQ4ODA4LmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Jose Marcelino (left) from RAKwireless presenting the 5G small cell, with Marc Pous (right)&nbsp;Successful and practical use cases are already available, enabled by the building blocks created by IoT partners that are leading the way in innovation. So&nbsp;isn&rsquo;t it time we stopped keeping our successes to ourselves? Instead, what if we recognized a collective responsibility to share our impacts, in order to develop the IoT market?<h2 dir="ltr">Creating maximum value for a better future</h2><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-lee-nextcurve/" target="_blank">Leonard Lee</a> held a fireside chat with <a href="https://iotcreators.com" target="_blank">IoT Creators&#39;</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/afzalmangal/?originalSubdomain=nl" target="_blank">&nbsp;Afzal Mangal</a>, who called on the IoT industry to think beyond impact, and instead on how we can create maximum value. &ldquo;We usually think of IoT impact in terms of business impact,&rdquo; said Mangal. &ldquo;But is this the impact that we imagined 10 or 20 years ago? I think most of us signed up for IoT to discover maximum values beyond monetization, costs, and profits.&rdquo;&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzgzMTc5MDc0LV9BNzQ4NzcwLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Leonard Lee (left) in conversation with Afzal MangalOne example took place just a few weeks ago: Two main highways between the Hague and Utrecht were closed because of a bridge on the verge of collapse. Thanks to a network of sensors placed on the bridge&rsquo;s structure connected to IoT Creators&rsquo; cellular network, authorities could monitor cracks forming over time and identify whether structural faults justified its closure. With large amounts of pedestrian foot traffic, trains, and vehicles crossing the bridge each day, Mangal believes &ldquo;this is maximum value creation with IoT because it goes beyond saving costs.&rdquo;There is undoubtedly great potential for maximum value still to be discovered. &quot;There are a lot of things possible today, because there is a lot that we can do with IoT,&quot; concludes Mangal. Could it be that the biggest impact IoT can have, lies beyond economic factors?<h2 dir="ltr">Realizing value beyond economic factors</h2>We believe the biggest impact comes from close collaboration within the industry. The right partners can provide you with the all essential building blocks to realize solutions that solve real problems. IoT Stars created in 2023 the IoTetris as an example of how IoT companies can work together to assemble the essential blocks to build the IoT stack that leads to maximum value.<a href="https://iotbuilder.iotstars.com" target="_blank">IoTetris</a> is already available to play, so go ahead and give it a go. And to continue the discussion, be sure not to miss our&nbsp;<a href="https://iotstars.com" target="_blank">next IoT Stars networking event</a>. We&rsquo;re rounding up the key players from the world of embedded development on March 14th during Embedded World in Nuremberg, and it&rsquo;s sure to be just as insightful.

During Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, the biggest players in IoT gathered

IoT takeaways from MWC 2023

Bringing the IoT community together around LoRaWAN® technology


The Things Conference 2022: Featuring the World's Largest Digital Twin

The Things Conference will run in Kromhouthal, Amsterdam, from 22 - 23 September 2022. &nbsp;<a href="https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/conference/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Register here.</a><hr><style type="text/css" id="isPasted">
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</style><h2>Introduction</h2>Digital twins are virtual replicas of any physical object or an entire system. They enable you, amongst other things, the ability to improve the physical version of the twin through monitoring and experimentation. Digital twins can be used in an incredibly broad range of applications, including predictive maintenance, environmental surveillance, and product design.&nbsp;In this article, we discuss the evolving definition of digital twins, and the important components that make up a successful digital twin and give an overview of The Things Conference 2022, where digital twins will be a core focus.&nbsp;<h2>What is a Digital Twin?</h2>A <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/what-is-a-digital-twin" target="_blank">digital twin</a> refers to any virtual model designed to reflect a physical object or system. For example, a digital twin could be created of a single wind turbine or a whole <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207543.2018.1497819" target="_blank">rubbish collection system</a>. The physical object/system is equipped with various sensors, all designed to capture specific data relating to different parameters of its functionality. The data from these sensors is then relayed to a processing system and used to create the digital copy known as the virtual model. Digital twins are a continuous system that can be applied to most areas of life - schools, designers, engineers, and even urban planning, with <a href="https://www.challenge.org/insights/digital-twins-and-smart-cities/" target="_blank">cities creating digital twins</a> of their entire ecosystems.&nbsp;Using data from these sensors, the virtual model can be used to run simulations, such as an extreme weather event, or study performance issues. The results of this monitoring and experimentation can then be applied back to the original physical version. The real power of digital twins is that the data doesn&#39;t just come in once to build a digital model.Rather, most digital twins run on data generated in real time from the source. The success of these digital twins is dependent on real-time communication between sensors using the Internet of Things (IoT). This is one way they can be differentiated from simulations. Both the sensors and the communication protocol are equally important parts in the success of the digital twin.<h2>Digital Twins and Communication Gateways in the IoT</h2>One critically important element of a successful IoT network is the <a href="https://wyldnetworks.com/blog/what-is-a-lorawan-gateway" target="_blank">gateway used to connect sensors</a> to each other. IoT devices use a gateway as a central hub to store data collected from sensors and then connect that data to external networks - much like a Wi-Fi router.&nbsp;A commonly used gateway is LoRaWAN, a long-range, low-power, wide-area network LPWAN protocol. It works in a similar way to how bats and dolphins communicate. LoRaWAN encodes information from devices on radio waves using chirp pulses and then converts those radio frequency signals to a signal compatible with a server, such as Wi-Fi, to send data to the cloud. LoRa modulated transmission is robust against disturbances and can be received across great distances.&nbsp;Some <a href="https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs/lorawan/what-is-lorawan/" target="_blank">benefits of using the LoRaWAN</a> protocol include that it can operate over long distances - up to 10km in rural areas, they can operate on ultra-low power mode, lasting up to 10 years on a single coin cell battery, and their network servers can handle millions of messages from thousands of gateways at once.<h2>Choosing the Right Sensors</h2>There are a variety of sensors on the LoRaWAN market, so choosing the right ones is key to digital twin success. When choosing a device, there are two important questions you&#39;ll want to ask yourself:&nbsp;<h3>1.Where will I use the device?</h3>The setting in which the device will be used will dictate the kind of features you&#39;ll need in a sensor. For example, a sensor for industrial or commercial purposes will require the device to be on a universal frequency and have long battery life. By contrast, for a device you might use in an office space, deep indoor penetration will be the priority feature.&nbsp;For devices destined to be used on outdoor equipment such as wind turbines, robustness and ability to withstand exposure to the elements will be critical. Considering which features are most important from the start will reduce human involvement and cost in the long term.<h3>2. What will I be monitoring?</h3>What you monitor influences what you&#39;re able to do with your digital twin; you cannot extract information from data you don&#39;t have. So really, it is perhaps best to reverse-engineer this question. Before knowing what you&#39;ll be monitoring, you&#39;ll need to know what goals you have for your digital twin.Once that is clear, you can start thinking about the devices that might be best to capture the data you need. LoRaWAN-enabled devices are perfect for measuring and recording temperature, humidity, freefall, orientation, location monitoring and more. Depending on your needs, you can find single-application sensors like an Abeeway Micro Tracker. If you would like to monitor more than one parameter at once, multi-use case sensors like <a href="https://www.genericnode.com" target="_blank">Generic Node&nbsp;</a>from The Things Industries, Dragino <a href="https://www.dragino.com/products/temperature-humidity-sensor/item/151-lht65.html" target="_blank">LHT65</a>, or Elsys <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Elsys+ERS+CO2&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">ERS CO2</a> could be more appropriate price- and feature-wise.<h2>Data Visualization and Digital Twins</h2>Digital twins exchange real-time data back and forth between the physical and digital objects they are sensing via the IoT. This makes them a game changer in our ability to understand and impact the world around us more accurately.&nbsp;By <a href="https://www.eurotech.com/blog/digital-twins-what-are-they-and-how-they-can-help-you/" target="_blank">analyzing the data</a> collected from sensors in a digital format, you can apply and test changes without altering the physical version. This allows you to see the impacts, costs, and outcomes of possible actions without making expensive and potentially dangerous changes to the physical object. Using digital twins enables you to predict likely faults before they occur in real life.Having lots of data is great, but it is useless if it isn&#39;t managed properly. The challenge is having the right quality and quantity of data available to the right people. One increasingly popular method of understanding this data is 3D visualization. 3D visualization allows users to see information in its full context but also understand at a glance what information is of higher priority. 3D visualization saves users time they would otherwise spend searching for and interpreting information. These visualizations also enable digital twins to be used by a wider range of users than just data scientists.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1662447210914-digital-twin-accenture-mackevision.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Image credit: AR can play an important role in visualizing digital twins. Image credit: Accenture/Mackevision&nbsp;<h2>Conclusion</h2>Digital twins are increasingly having an impact across all sectors. However, they are only as good as their parts. Accurate sensors with low-power and a reliable long-range, low-power, wide-area network such as LoRaWAN are key to models that capture the right data at the right time and accurately communicate it back to users.&nbsp;<hr><h2>LoRaWAN Industry Leaders Gather at The Things Conference 2022</h2><a href="https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/conference/" target="_blank">The Things Conference</a> brings together over 2,000 IoT professionals for two days of discussing the latest in IoT. The event hosts over 70 industry leaders, sharing their knowledge via keynote speeches, workshops, and curated presentations.&nbsp;At this year&#39;s event, there will be an example of a LoRaWAN digital twin. The centerpiece of the event will be showcasing real-time data from over 100 devices sent from sensors across the event venue over a space of 4357 m2.At The Things Conference 2022 engineers can meet colleagues in the LoRaWAN ecosystem, learn from the latest developments in the IoT industry, and network with sensor creators and innovators. There are also learning opportunities through hands-on interactive workshops.The conference will run in Kromhouthal, Amsterdam, from 22 - 23 September 2022.&nbsp;<a class="button-main-action" href="https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/conference/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Register to attend.</a><h2>About the sponsor: The Things Network</h2>The Things Network is a global community of more than 150000 active members from over 100 countries around the world. &nbsp;They bring together startups, developers, businesses along with the universities and governments in building a public Internet of Things data network. The Things Network provides a set of open tools and a global, open network to build your next IoT application at low cost, featuring maximum security and ready to scale.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjYyMzg3ODYwOTY4LXR0biBsb2dvIGJvdHRvbS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

A brief guide to creating a digital twin with LoRaWAN® sensors.


Digital Twins: As good as the sum of their parts

Cellular IoT is gaining momentum. The technologies LTE-M and NB-IoT are widely available as of today. 110 operators claim to have LTE-M and/or NB-IoT networks available and at least a dozen others are preparing their rollout as we speak. Over the past 14 years, LTE Cat 1 has proven itself as a good candidate for many IoT applications and led to the release of a new version of this category to make it better suitable for IoT application called: LTE Cat 1bis.While LTE-M, NB-IoT and LTE Cat 1(bis) technologies are growing in popularity, we see operators preparing the sunset of their 2G and 3G networks to reduce operational expenses and free up spectrum. In addition, public unlicensed networks don&#39;t seem to live up to their promise, looking at <a href="https://iot.eetimes.com/sigfox-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-to-survive-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">Sigfox filing for bankruptcy protection</a> and Bouygues Telecom <a href="https://objenious.com/blogpost/33947/" target="_blank">announcing</a> to shut down their public LoRaWAN network and focus on their cellular LPWAN technologies LTE-M and NB-IoT.&nbsp;When considering to start using cellular LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network), 2022 might be the perfect year. The technology has proven itself, networks are ready to use and hardware is widely available.<h2 dir="ltr">What do we mean with Cellular IoT?</h2>A brief history of LTE There is no such thing as an LTE standard. Instead there is a multitude of technologies that fall under the LTE umbrella. These technologies can be roughly classified into 2 groups: MBB (Mobile Broadband) and MTC (Machine Type Communication). With MBB technologies such as LTE Cat 4 and Cat 6 focussing on high data throughput and low latency, MTC aims at cutting down costs, improving link budget and reducing power consumption.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxNTE5NDgwODIzLXdpcmVsZXNzIGV2b2x1dGlvbi5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Cellular IoT refers to MTC and allows sensors and actuators to be connected to the Internet. IoT devices require long-range connectivity (due to a large link-budget) as many devices are installed in remote and often hard to reach locations, low power consumption as most devices run on batteries for years and low cost as IoT deployments often come in large volumes.Cellular technologies designed for IoT devices are LTE Cat 1 (including Cat 1bis), LTE-M (also referred to as LTE Cat-M1 or eMTC) and NB-IoT (also called LTE Cat-NB). As of today, we see these technologies being used in smart city applications such as smart street lighting and payment terminals or points of sales. In agriculture to track livestock or precision agriculture and in the logistics industry to track valuable assets or optimize warehouse management.&nbsp;As shown in the coverage map below, large parts of Europe, North America and Oceania are already covered by LTE-M and NB-IoT technology, as well as several countries in Asia and South America. This makes asset tracking particularly interesting now that networks are widely available and goods can be tracked cross-border. In order to support LTE-M and NB-IoT, existing LTE cell towers require a software upgrade. LTE Cat 1(bis) however, is supported by all LTE infrastructure, making it a truly global standard as of today.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxNTE5MzA5OTY0LUNvdmVyYWdlIG1hcCAyLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">LTE-M and/or NB-IoT coverage.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsma.com/iot/deployment-map/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Source GSMA</a><a href="https://www.gsma.com/iot/deployment-map/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>Getting started with cellular IoTMonogoto allows developers to kickstart their cellular IoT journey. The Monogoto Developer program comprising multiple virtual training sessions, covers the ins-and-outs of cellular IoT and supports developers in building their next IoT project with LTE-M technology.Topics covered<ul><li dir="ltr">Fundamentals of cellular IoT</li><li dir="ltr">AT Commands</li><li dir="ltr">Power optimization using eDRX &amp; PSM</li><li dir="ltr">Integrating and acting on sensor data</li><li dir="ltr">Working with Monogoto&rsquo;s API</li><li dir="ltr">Breaking down real-life IoT use cases</li></ul><a href="https://lp.monogoto.io/developers-program-workshop-recording" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more</a>

The technologies LTE-M, NB-IoT and LTE Cat 1bis are widely available as of today. 2022 might be the perfect year to kickstart your cellular IoT journey.

Cellular IoT is gaining momentum

Picture this scenario: A fire breaks out in the building, you rush over to the fire extinguisher, pull it out of its cabinet, release the security screw and press the triggering handles and nothing happens. After a couple of tries, the only thing that comes out of the fire extinguisher is liquid foam, with barely enough pressure to reach your feet. Someone had already used it and just put it back in its original place. No one noticed and the facility manager was not notified.The solution to this problem: Critical Asset Monitoring.<h3>What is Critical Asset Monitoring and how is it done?</h3>Our (not entirely) fictive scenario above describes a common problem that could be addressed with critical asset monitoring (CAM). By combining their physical assets with connected sensors, companies can better monitor their asset fleet and reduce response time thanks to custom “alert'' notifications on web-based applications or signage screens. Simply put, critical asset monitoring can help avoid the problem of a missing or already used item such as the fire extinguisher from above.Critical asset monitoring tools are designed to perform real-time analysis of the current status of critical assets. With the help of a digital twin, it is possible to perform anomaly detection for said assets. State-of-the-art rule engines are used to define rules that trigger a warning under certain conditions. The notification can be either digital (web-based application) or physical (visual feedback such as a warning light).<figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ0NTkwMzEyOTQzLTE2NDQ1OTAzMTI5NDMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Akenza iot asset tracking" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure>Important here is to acknowledge that CAM as we describe it in this article is not equal to geo-tracking. As mentioned above, the monitoring tools only identify an asset’s current status in that immediate instant but do not track the object per se. Once removed, the asset is not tracked nor monitored.<h3>LoRaWAN Critical Asset Monitoring&nbsp;Use Cases</h3>Asset monitoring use cases come in a variety of forms to help inform operational decisions, here are some examples of the most common ones: Fire extinguisher monitoring - Apply the monitoring strips to the back of fire extinguishers to make sure the object is present in case of emergency or the service time is respected. Defibrillators (AED’s) monitoring&nbsp;- Similarly to the fire extinguisher, in this case the strip triggers the notification when the emergency device is removed from its halter. Art monitoring&nbsp;- In the case of art pieces the monitoring strip functions as an alarm system. Important here is to notice that the monitoring sensors do not necessarily include GPS functionalities, but just trigger a notification when the object is removed from its place. In all the previous examples, the alarm or notification is triggered after a LoRaWAN message is received. As the LoRaWAN messages are received periodically (time interval depends on the device registration parameters) and not instantaneously, these notifications cannot be seen as an immediate ´emergency call´, but rather as a continuous status update.<h3>Examples of devices used in critical asset monitoring</h3>Different asset monitoring cases require different sensors. Hence, it is important to source adequately the sensors that suit your application best. LoRa sensors are a good fit as they use very little power to function and can operate for years. These devices send messages at regular intervals about the status of the assets they are tracking. Among those sensors, we’d like to give two examples:Strips MS +Guard With its long battery life of up to 10 years, up to 10 km (6 miles) range and high quality for both in &amp; outdoor applications it is the ideal sensor for any professional IoT applications.&nbsp;<a href="https://sensative.com/sensors/strips-lorawan-sensors/strips-multi-sensor-guard-for-lorawan/" target="_blank">Strips MS +Guard</a> is a multi-sensor that can also be used for precise temperature &amp; LUX measurements to get a great overview of the climate in or outside of your property.<figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ0NTkwMzEzMTU1LTE2NDQ1OTAzMTMxNTUucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Design ohne Titel 10" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure>Strips Presence for LoRaWANAlternatively,&nbsp;<a href="https://sensative.com/sensors/strips-lorawan-sensors/strips-presence-lorawan/" target="_blank">Strips Presence for LoRaWAN</a> is an innovative ultra-thin (3mm/0.117in) active IR occupancy sensor for smart offices and buildings. It can be mounted invisibly or highly discreetly and is very suitable for office applications. Strips Presence can also be used for asset monitoring such as paintings and other valuables.These discreet strip sensors are easy to mount thanks to their adhesive backing. They are good fit in an office environment as one can hide them easily behind the physical asset.<figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ0NTkwMzEyMzQ0LTE2NDQ1OTAzMTIzNDQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Design ohne Titel 9" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><h3>How to start your Critical Asset Monitoring case with akenza?</h3>Thanks to the self-service features of akenza, creating an asset monitoring case can be done quickly, even without coding skills. Let's assume you have found the perfect monitoring sensor to support your case, and you have mounted it on the asset to track. In a few simple steps, you can register it on akenza and define the conditions to apply to the collected monitoring data to trigger the desired action (an alarm or notification to the responsible person).Here is the process to follow: 1. Define the data processing chain on akenza.To do that, you can use our <a href="https://akenza.io/features?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no-code Data Flow</a> and describe the data flow used in your project. A Data Flow is composed of the connectivity technology supported by the sensor (e.g. LoRa, Sigfox, HTTP), a device type that handles the payload decoding of the sensor, and an output connector to send your data to a specific database or external tool for further processing.To select the appropriate device type in the Data Flow, you can directly choose your device in our extensive&nbsp;<a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Type Library</a> and integrate it into your project without coding a single line. No worries, you can build your own device type with little effort if the device is missing in our library. 2. Trigger custom alerts and notifications.With the Rule Engine of akenza, you can analyze and process data of multiple devices simultaneously and trigger actions when needed. The low-code functionalities of the Rule Engine facilitate the implementation of business logic into your IoT project. Hence, you can easily define the conditions to apply to your asset to trigger a set of predefined actions. These actions could be a mail or SMS to the facility manager or a visual alarm signaling.3. Visualize the status of all your assets in real-timeBeing able to generate alerts under some critical conditions is the priority. Still, you might also want to access your asset fleet status in real-time and visualize it on a dedicated signage screen or web application. This can be achieved thanks to the <a href="https://docs.akenza.io/get-started/connectors?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">output connectors</a> of akenza that allow connecting the sensor data stream to external visualization tools (such as Grafana) or IT cloud systems (Microsoft Azure, Amazon Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub). Finally, you can also use the REST API of akenza to use the generated data into your custom web applications.If you want to learn more about akenza, be sure to check out our <a href="https://auth.akenza.io/register?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30-day free trial</a>.

Critical asset monitoring tools are designed to perform real-time analysis of the current status of critical assets. With the help of a digital twin, it is possible to perform anomaly detection for said assets. Read more about it in this article.

Critical Asset Monitoring with LPWAN

Wevolver and <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/syntiant" target="_blank">Syntiant</a> are creating a series that explore the work of innovators and the future of pervasive AI. Syntiant is developing ultra-low-power AI processors. Because they believe in the importance of innovation, Syntiant is engaging in these fireside chats with engineers and designers who are on the cutting edge of their field.<h2 dir="ltr">LoRaWAN - what is it and what does it enable? </h2>Wienke Giezeman’s company The Things Industries uses something called the long range, wide area <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/lorawan-101-one-of-the-frontrunning-iot-technologies/" target="_blank">(LoRaWAN) networking protocol</a>, which provides long range, low power and secure characteristics that are ideal for telemetry use cases – think the Internet of Things and connected devices, but on a level that helps enterprises dive deep into their data. The problems that his customers face are quite diverse – but the ecosystem that The Things Industries builds, that creates networks, devices and solutions - has been a powerful answer. It’s being used by companies to monitor everything from bearings on conveyor belts, to cattle, or activity in smart buildings.“How this works is that you have a small sensor, with pretty small data points. You might learn that a bearing is almost broken, a cow is gone, or there’s somebody in the room. What these data points have in common, is that they're very small, and they're almost binary. Second, the networks are most of the time not available – and if it’s WiFi or cellular, it will make the sensor consume a huge amount of energy. LoRaWAN fits in a place where you want to have small pieces of data, but you need to be able to install a sensor that can last for a long time, because you don't want to end up replacing your batteries every few weeks on these sensors. You need the right sensor for the right problem.”&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Growth of AI powered IoT</h2>Using AI on edge IoT devices enables real-time integral feedback on critical data points. “By grading quality information out of rough sensor data, you can catch a data point with a high quality measurement that lets you know if a part of your system needs immediate attention, maintenance, or even if you could take a preventative measure.”Edge AI helps harness the data, alleviating the fact that often there isn’t enough bandwidth to send all the data points that a sensor measures to the cloud for processing. &nbsp;As Edge AI and fields like tinyML further grow and develop they promise to power much future growth of IoT applications. And importantly, these approaches can also reduce the environmental impact of IoT systems.<h2 dir="ltr">The environmental impact of IoT</h2>Running more and more devices and computation comes at an environmental cost. Therefore, IoT systems need to reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact.Wienke: “There’s been an emergence of a lot of e-waste regulation, which we highly support, and with the products that we make, we tried to ensure use of common batteries and tap into existing circular economies that have proper recycling facilities. This is a major topic in IoT, and it's also very important, because you need to manage the devices properly.”&nbsp;IoT can also enable systems and organizations to reduce carbon emissions. The right measurements and data can improve efficiency or lower energy usage such as in smart buildings where lights and climate control are only used when there are humans around.&nbsp;As Wienke says “It's not going to generate any value when it ends up in a dashboard. [..] If you see a graph of your IoT sensor, then you're only at 10%, you need to inject that data into the enterprise IT systems.”&nbsp;<hr>This video is part of a series of fireside chats in which Wevolver and Syntiant partner to engage with global innovators. In<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/tag/fireside-chat" target="_blank">&nbsp;previous discussions</a> we spoke with Arduino CEO Fabio Violante, Star Wars Animatronic Designer Gustav Hoegen and Fashiontech Designer Anouk Wipprecht. &nbsp;I encourage you to stay tuned and to follow<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/syntiant" target="_blank">&nbsp;Syntiant's profile</a> for more of these conversations.

#6 of our 'Voice of Innovation' fireside chat series: Robotics and AI reporter Rachel Gordon speaks to IoT networking savant Wienke Giezeman.

Fireside chat with The Things Industries CEO Wienke Giezeman

LPWANs underpin the IoT by offering efficient networks able to service a high connection density over a large area.Low power wide area networks (LPWANs) are booming since they meet the needs for energy-friendly, cost-effective, long-range wireless connectivity between wireless local area networks (WLANs) and the Cloud. The technology is being used for logistics, asset tracking, smart metering, smart agriculture, remote healthcare monitoring, and worker health and safety monitoring, among others.LPWANs are characterized by low power consumption (supporting years of battery life in connected devices) and 5 to 15-km range. LPWANs can support device throughputs of a few hundred kilobits per second – perfectly adequate to service most of the IoT's wireless sensors and actuators.Competing LPWANs divide into those that use licensed spectrum allocations, such as cellular IoT (LTE-M and NB-IoT), and those that use unlicensed spectrum like LoRaWAN. Large commercial network operators manage the licensed spectrum. It benefits from global infrastructure, unmatched reliability, quality of service, and high security. The essential advantage of the unlicensed spectrum alternatives is no charge for transmitted data.<h2>Network connections surge</h2>Latest research by several leading industry analysts suggests LPWAN will be the fastest growing type of IoT connectivity this decade. IoT Analytics, for example, predicts the total number of LPWAN connections will surge from 14 million in 2017 to more than 1.15 billion in 2023 - a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 109 percent. Statista forecasts worldwide LTE-M and NB-IoT connections will grow from 3.86 million and 27.42 million in 2018 to 132.75 and 739.8 million, respectively, by 2023.Meanwhile, between the various LPWAN technologies available across licensed and unlicensed spectrums, the overall LPWAN market will surpass $65 billion by 2025, according to analyst Global Market Insights.From a geographical perspective, Asia and North America are expected to hold the largest shares of the global LPWAN market. The latter accounted for a market share of 40 percent in 2020 and should continue to dominate through 2027 (says Global Market Insights).<h2>Drivers for growth</h2>Key drivers of LPWAN growth include the evolution of smart manufacturing and increasing demand for smart cities. Emerging markets like precision farming—relying on sensor-based devices communicating cost-effectively over a long range—rise in prominence.Analyst ABI Research says that critical factors driving the growth of LPWANs are the growing diversity of applications and the demand for easy-to-deploy and easy-to-scale solutions to support those applications. At the same time, as cellular operators continue to invest in upgrading their networks, reliability and coverage are improving.Deployment and scalability are aided by cellular IoT device interoperability ensured by the specifications for LTE-M and NB-IoT. These specifications were introduced by the 3GPP (a standards organization that develops protocols for mobile communications) in 2016. Promoters of LPWANs using unlicensed spectrum are also pushing standards bodies to recognize their technologies as de facto standards to encourage take-up by more OEMs. DECT-20220 New Radio standard is the first unlicensed spectrum standard approved by <a href="https://www.etsi.org/newsroom/press-releases/1988-2021-10-world-s-first-non-cellular-5g-technology-etsi-dect-2020-gets-itu-r-approval-setting-example-of-new-era-connectivity" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ITU as a 5G standard</a>, thanks to its prospects for mMTC and URLLC use cases that can further drive LPWAN deployments.There is also a growing market for LPWANs solutions that combine cellular IoT and unlicensed spectrum standards in a single device to leverage the advantages of each technology. One application example is smart meters, where utilities want the flexibility to access either cellular IoT or a local, private infrastructure through a single end-product variant.<h2>The hot application</h2>According to analyst firm ABI Research, asset tracking is one of the highest-growth segments driving LPWANs, with a forecast expansion of 51 percent per year to 2024. LPWANs ideally suit the sector's requirements, enabling the periodic position update (and perhaps other information such as cargo condition and product health) over long distances, yet with long battery life. Advanced <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Low-power-cellular-IoT?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cellular IoT</a> asset trackers are changing the face of the asset tracking sector. The Nordic-powered <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2021/06/Digital-Matters-Yabby-Edge-Cellular-uses-Nordic?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yabby Edge Cellular</a>, which can last up to ten years between charges, and <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2020/11/SODAQ-cellular-IoT-asset-tracker?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SODAQ TRACK SOLAR</a>, which can operate using self-harvested solar power, are illustrative examples.Cloud management support for location services and over-the-air firmware updates for asset tracking are growing too. Nordic Semiconductor, for example, has just launched its own <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Cloud-services" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cloud services</a> to support customers deploying products using the company's cellular IoT technology.The global adoption of cellular IoT LPWANs is unprecedented. The GSMA (an organization for mobile network operators) hosts a map of the globe on its website illustrating countries that have deployed either LTE-M or NB-IoT networks, or both. Except for Africa, the inhabited continents show widespread coverage, an incredible advancement for a technology that didn't exist just a decade ago.&nbsp;<hr>This article was first published on Nordic's&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>.

LPWANs underpin the IoT by offering efficient networks able to service a high connection density over a large area.

LPWANs bridge the IoT divide

Soil moisture sensors have been developed using communication protocols introduced in the 80s. At this time, these sensors were usually read out by dataloggers and the data was either extracted manually or later transmitted using cellular technologies. With the rise of low power transmission technologies like <a href="https://akenza.io/blog/lorawan-explained?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=silverlight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LoRaWAN</a>, the sensor data has been made available at a very low hardware cost, making big hardware installations obsolete.Using state-of-the-art cloud technologies, the soil moisture can be analyzed and combined with other related data like weather conditions to provide additional value for the people working at the spot where the sensors are placed.Silverlight’s aim was to facilitate the work at construction sites, allow for more accurate predictions or to schedule harvest operations at agriculture farms. This massively reduces the amount of manual fieldwork previously necessary. This is to protect the integrity of the soil as a valuable resource, as dictated by Swiss law.<h2>How is it done?</h2>Silverlight uses the tensIoT sensors (a tensiometer equipped with a radio unit) to measure the suction pressure of the soil. The value mentioned can be defined as the “complex energy state created by the interaction between the soil, water and air present in the soil”. This creates negative pressure. Simply put, it is the amount of water that the soil can absorb.Those sensors are buried at two heights inside the soil. At around 20cm lays the topsoil and at 35cm is the subsoil. The measurements are taken at different depths because the two layers absorb water differently.<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/akenza-io-website-prod1-assets/assets/silverlight-logo.jpeg?mtime=20211019082444&amp;focal=none" alt="Silverlight Logo" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 676px;">The company works primarily for the construction industry. For each measurement on construction sites, it is recommended to install five tensiometers on an area of 2 square meters and take the median value of the measurements. The tensiometric measurement indicates from which moisture conditions the soil can be driven on, without the construction vehicles producing significant damages causing infertility. The result of the measurement allows determining whether the intervention is allowed or to be avoided and, if necessary, to indicate the method of moving the soil and the type of machine allowed (see <a href="https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/boden/publikationen-studien/publikationen/boden-und-bauen.html" id="isPasted" target="_blank">recommendations from the Swiss Bundesamt für Umwelt</a>).Silverlight provides the graphics with the projected and processed data of the suction pressure and moisture in the soil. Based on this data, the planning office and the construction manager can make informed decisions on where construction vehicles and heavy machinery can operate.Without this solution, the weight of the individual machines and measured values would have to be measured individually, based on the established guidelines, to see whether it is legal to start construction. These established guidelines are standard from the confederation, and are all the same in Switzerland.<figure><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/akenza-io-website-prod1-assets/assets/user_15392/Example-of-Sensor-Silverlight.png?mtime=20211019082718&amp;focal=none" alt="Example of Sensor - Silverlight" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><h2>Who is interested in Silverlight’s service?</h2>Depending on the project, the end customer could be entrepreneurs, constructors, environmental specialists, or landlords. The cantons, for example, have pedological construction supervision, which entails a specialist determining whether the floor is fit for construction.This is where Silverlight plays an essential role by equipping the land with sensors and transmitters. The new addition of LoRa tensometers, allows for the data to be collected continuously and transmitted in real-time to the end application without requiring human intervention. Additionally, the company has the ability to combine the values with precipitation values to see how those affect the state of the soil. This allows for the planners to work with weather forecasts and ahead of time with predictions.The data can be projected in Grafana, as depicted in the visual below. The lower the curve, the damper the floor. In the visual, one can see five different sensors that are distributed over a particular area. The drops in the graphic depict rapid changes (f.e heavy rain). Simultaneously, there are three different colors in the background of the graphic: red, yellow and green. As soon as the values reach the green area, it is safe for the construction machinery to start its operations.<figure><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/akenza-io-website-prod1-assets/assets/user_15392/Grafana-Screen-Silverlight.png?mtime=20211019082541&amp;focal=none" alt="Grafana Screen - Silverlight" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></figure><h2>What are the benefits of the solution?</h2>The automated measurement system provides valuable information and insights into the dynamic behavior of soil. It has the potential to reduce manual work by around 90%. The collected data allows for better predictions and resource planning for the involved company, regardless of whether in the field of construction or agriculture.<ul style="list-style-type: circle;"><li>The installation is small and autonomous: it uses very little space, runs autonomously for the entire season, and does not need any maintenance.</li><li>Measurements visualization: Reports are generated with a single click &amp; therefore quick and easy to provide.</li><li>By working with LoRa sensors, little energy is used, which allows for the sensors to operate for years offering a sustainable solution.</li></ul><figure><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/akenza-io-website-prod1-assets/assets/user_15392/Bildschirmfoto-2021-10-19-um-08.21-2.png?mtime=20211019083710&amp;focal=none" alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021 10 19 um 08 21 2" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 271px;"></figure><blockquote>The Akenza platform reduced the time for device onboarding and payload decoding, and has proven to be valuable for troubleshooting.</blockquote>- Valentin Keller, general manager at Silverlight, on how Akenza facilitates his work with the sensors.<h2>What role does akenza play?</h2><ul><li>The Akenza platform massively simplifies the management of the IoT device fleet. New devices are easily added and removed, offering the ability to fully focus on the core business operations, the measurement technology.</li><li>Data management and monitoring of the incoming data streams from the different sensors are performed on a single platform, allowing the development of fast and flexible solutions.</li><li>The agnostic architecture of the platform allows for quick replacement of any sensor and connectivity technology, as well as custom applications for data analysis and visualization.</li></ul>If you want to learn more about akenza, be sure to check out our&nbsp;<a href="https://auth.akenza.io/register?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=wevolver&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=silverlight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30-day free trial</a>.

Silverlight aimed to create a solution that allows remote monitoring of the soil moisture levels, reducing the manual read-outs and receiving periodic data updates. After only two years of development and testing, the company released a reliable and unobtrusive solution.