LoRaWAN - Long Range Wide Area Network ======================================== .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What is LoRaWAN?** LoRaWAN stands for **Long Range Wide Area Network**. It is a **low-power, long-range wireless communication protocol** designed for IoT devices and applications that need to send small amounts of data over large distances using minimal power. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Why is LoRaWAN useful?** * Enables **long-range communication** (up to 15+ km in rural areas). * Uses **very low power**, allowing battery-powered devices to run for years. * Supports **massive IoT deployments** with thousands of devices. * Works well in environments where cellular or Wi-Fi is not viable. * Operates in **unlicensed spectrum** (e.g., 868 MHz in EU, 915 MHz in US), reducing cost. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How it works?** * End devices (sensors) send data using the **LoRa modulation**. * Data is received by **LoRa gateways**, which forward it to a **network server** via IP (usually over Ethernet, cellular, or Wi-Fi). * The **network server** authenticates and routes the data to an **application server**. * LoRaWAN uses a **star-of-stars topology**, with gateways acting as transparent bridges. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Where is LoRaWAN used?** * **Smart agriculture** (soil sensors, livestock tracking). * **Smart cities** (streetlights, parking meters, waste bins). * **Environmental monitoring** (air quality, water levels). * **Asset tracking** (logistics, supply chain). * **Industrial IoT** (remote monitoring, predictive maintenance). .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?** * LoRaWAN operates primarily at the **Data Link Layer (Layer 2)**. * It defines the **MAC layer protocol** for communication over the physical LoRa layer (Layer 1). * The **LoRa PHY** layer is separate and handles modulation. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **IS LoRaWAN Windows specific?** * No, **LoRaWAN is not Windows-specific**. * It is implemented on **embedded devices**, **microcontrollers**, and **gateways**. * Servers and management tools may run on any OS, including Windows. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **IS LoRaWAN Linux Specific?** * No, **LoRaWAN is not Linux-specific**. * However, **Linux** is commonly used in **LoRaWAN gateways**, **network servers**, and **application servers** due to its flexibility and open-source tools. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Which Transport Protocol is used by LoRaWAN?** * **LoRaWAN itself does not use IP-based transport protocols** like TCP or UDP. * The **radio communication** uses its own MAC and PHY layers. * Between **gateways and servers**, **UDP** (and sometimes MQTT) is used over IP networks. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Which Port is used by LoRaWAN?** * On the radio side, LoRaWAN uses **frequency channels** (not TCP/UDP ports). * For **gateway-to-network server communication**, it typically uses: * **UDP port 1700** (Semtech packet forwarder). * Application-level communication depends on the server architecture (can be MQTT, HTTP, etc.). .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Is LoRaWAN using Client server model?** * **Yes, partially.** * Devices **transmit data** (uplink) to a **network server**, which routes it to an **application server** – forming a **client-server model**. * The radio layer uses **one-way or two-way communication** with acknowledgment mechanisms, not a persistent client-server session. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow Topics in this section, * :ref:`Learnings in this section ` * :ref:`Terminology ` * :ref:`Version Info ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Version&IEEE Details ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Protocol Packet Details ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Usecases ` * :ref:`LoRaWAN Basic Features ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. _LoRaWAN_step1: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Learnings in this section * In this section, you are going to learn .. _LoRaWAN_step2: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Terminology * Terminology .. _LoRaWAN_step3: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Version Info * Version Info .. _LoRaWAN_step5: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Version&RFC Details * rfc details .. _LoRaWAN_step18: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 * setup .. _LoRaWAN_step19: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 * setup .. _LoRaWAN_step6: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Protocol Packet Details * packet details .. _LoRaWAN_step7: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Usecases * usecases .. _LoRaWAN_step8: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: LoRaWAN Basic Features * features .. _LoRaWAN_step17: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Reference links * Reference links