A low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN or LPWA network) is a type of wireless telecommunication wide area network designed to allow long-range communication at a low bit rate between IoT devices, such as sensors operated on a battery. Low power, low bit rate, and intended use distinguish this type of network from a wireless WAN that is designed to connect users or businesses, and carry more data, using more power. The LPWAN data rate ranges from 0.3 kbit/s to 50 kbit/s per channel. A LPWAN may be used to create a private wireless sensor network, but may also be a service or infrastructure offered by a third party, allowing the owners of sensors to deploy them in the field without investing in gateway technology.
Attributes Range: The operating range of LPWAN technology varies from a few kilometers in urban areas to over 10 km in rural settings. It can also enable effective data communication in previously infeasible indoor and underground locations. Power: LPWAN manufacturers claim years to decades of usable life from built-in batteries, but real-world application tests have not confirmed this.
Platforms and technologies Some competing standards and vendors for LPWAN space include:
DASH7, a low latency, bi-directional firmware standard that operates over multiple LPWAN radio technologies including LoRa. Wize is an open and royalty-free standard for LPWAN derived from the European Standard Wireless Mbus. Chirp spread spectrum (CSS) based devices. Sigfox, UNB-based technology and French company. LoRa is a proprietary, chirp spread spectrum radio modulation technology for LPWAN used by LoRaWAN, Haystack Technologies, and Symphony Link. mioty, implementing Telegram Splitting technology. Weightless is an open standard, narrowband technology for LPWAN used by Ubiik ELTRES, a LPWA technology developed by Sony, with transmission ranges of over 100 km while moving at speeds of 100 km/h. IEEE 802.11ah, also known as Wi-Fi HaLow, is a low-power, wide-area implementation of 802.11 wireless networking standard using sub-gig frequencies.
Ultra-narrow band Ultra Narrowband (UNB), modulation technology used for LPWAN by various companies including:
Sigfox, French UNB-based technology company. Weightless, a set of communication standards from the Weightless SIG. NB-Fi Protocol, developed by WAVIoT company.
Others DASH7 Mode 2 development framework for low power wireless networks, by Haystack Technologies. Runs over many wireless radio standards like LoRa, LTE, 802.15.4g, and others. LTE Advanced for Machine Type Communications (LTE-M), an evolution of LTE communications for connected things by 3GPP. MySensors, DIY Home Automation framework supporting different radios including LoRa. NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT), standardization effort by 3GPP for a LPWAN used in cellular networks. Random phase multiple access (RPMA) from Ingenu, formerly known as On-Ramp Wireless, is based on a variation of CDMA technology for cellular phones, but uses unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum. RPMA is used in GE's AMI metering. Byron, a direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technology from Taggle Systems in Australia. Wi-SUN, based on IEEE 802.15.4g.
See also Internet of things Wide area networks Static Context Header Compression (SCHC) QRP operation Slowfeld Through-the-earth mine communications Short range device IEEE 802.15.4 (Low-power personal-area network) IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)
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