LORA networks are based on a star topology in which customer devices communicate via intermediate devices, so-called gateways, which concentrate the transmission of user traffic to network servers. LORA gateways, such as those listed above, are physical devices used to connect IoT devices to the cloud and are an integral part of the task of forming the backbone of a functioning Lovak IoT network. LORA’s Wide Area Network Solution is a modulation technique that uses PHY and Lorawan network protocols at the physical level.
If you understand that LORA is a type of hardware that supports remote wireless communication, then Lorawan refers to the network protocol which is based on Lora. Lora is a network at its core and Lorawan consists of the nodes (gateways) of the Lora network operator.
Gateways in a Lora network act as a transparent bridge that relays messages between terminal devices and central network servers in the back end (ideal for public or country-wide deployments). Gateways connect to network servers via standard IP connections and are controlled by private rollouts where security controls are necessary.
The Lorawan Network Server is the heart of the Lorawan network, enabling the connectivity, management and monitoring of devices, gateways and end applications. Lorawan is a cloud-based media access control (MAC) layer protocol that acts as a network layer protocol to manage communication between LPWAN gateways, devices and routing protocols from the LORA Alliance.
The network server implements the Lorawan protocol to verify the integrity and authenticity of devices. In addition to the Lorawan network server, the LNS Base Station Controller (BSC) is a key component for running Lora gateways and providing field settings, alerts, firmware and application updates, security and integrity. The Radio Network Controller (RNC) helps monitor and optimize radio performance and coverage of the whole IoT network, scatter factor and current load. A large part of IoT network technologies, in particular Lorawan, focuses on a centralised model of end nodes and gateways.
LORA gateways, such as those listed above are physical devices (internal hardware and firmware) used to connect IoT devices to the cloud and are an integral part of the task of forming the backbone of a working Lovak IoT network. The basic function of Lorawan gateways is to demodulate LORA packets at the end node and transfer them to the server, but there are some key factors to consider when working with Lorawan gateways and the Lorawan network in general.
The Lora Gateway software, which includes the packet forwarding software running on the gateway, interoperates with the Lora chip to receive and transmit radio frequency packets from Lorawan Network Servers (LNs) and to send messages received by the chip to applications and cloud devices via uplinks and downlinks. Lorawan requires a gateway, such as one that combines packets from many Lora nodes and forwards them over the network via TCP / IP. Lora Gateway is the main power supply and consists of a Lora radio frontend that controls the host platform via a serial interface.
LORA itself represents the physical level of the network, and the technology behind it is the powerful wireless modulation used to establish remote communication between devices. This is RF modulation used in Lorawan (r) and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology which uses licensed and free radio frequencies designed for long-range and high-performance applications. Sigfox limits its network device capacities in the network so that the actual data rate of LORA depends on the distance between the terminal and the gateway.
Lorawan’s star topology is an IoT network consisting of terminals and gateways. You can build a private Lorawan network with gateways and terminals by using the direct transmission of Lorawan and LORA P2P communications to take advantage of an extensive network when you combine it with the corresponding Lorawan servers. In a public Lorawan network, you can connect all of your devices or set up a private network, where you have your gateway and a Lorawan server.
There are countless steps involved in building a Lora network gateway from scratch, from registering with the Things network to observing data from a simple Lora node, but it is a crucial step in integrating IoT technologies into embedded devices and applications that drive our world. In this blog post, you will learn how to use Things Network (TTN) v2 and Things Stack v3 Lorawan gateways that are running on the new Semtech Packet Forwarding Protocol (Lora Basics (TM) Station). Lora and Lorawan are the technology to build a network and to start building long-range IoT devices for a low investment.