Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is een begrip binnen de industriële digitalisering en industriële communicatieprotocollen.

Definitie

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is een low-power, wide-area networking protocol ontworpen voor wireless IoT-apparaten. Het biedt lange afstand communicatie (tot 15km) met minimaal energieverbruik voor batterij-powered sensors en meters.

Kenmerken

  • Long-range communication: Up to 15km in rural areas, 2-5km in urban environments
  • Ultra-low power: Battery life van 5-10 years voor sensor applications
  • Low data rates: Optimized voor small data packets (0.3-50 kbps)
  • Star topology: Sensors communicate directly with gateways
  • Unlicensed spectrum: Uses ISM bands (868MHz in Europe, 915MHz in US)
  • Adaptive data rate: Dynamic optimization van power consumption en range
  • Encryption security: AES-128 encryption protecting data transmission
  • Scalable network: Single gateway can handle thousands van end devices
  • Bi-directional: Both uplink en downlink communication capabilities

Toepassing

Remote asset monitoring:

  • Tank level monitoring: Fuel, chemical, water tank levels in remote locations
  • Pipeline monitoring: Pressure, flow monitoring over long distances
  • Equipment tracking: Location en status van mobile equipment, containers
  • Environmental monitoring: Air quality, water quality in industrial areas

Utility applications:

  • Smart metering: Gas, water, electricity consumption monitoring
  • Grid monitoring: Power quality, outage detection in distribution networks
  • Street lighting: Remote control en monitoring van LED lighting systems
  • Waste management: Fill-level sensors in containers, route optimization

Agricultural/outdoor:

  • Soil monitoring: Moisture, pH, temperature sensors in large agricultural areas
  • Weather stations: Distributed meteorological data collection
  • Livestock tracking: Animal location en health monitoring
  • Irrigation control: Remote valve control en soil moisture monitoring

Industrial site management:

  • Perimeter security: Intrusion detection around large industrial facilities
  • Parking management: Occupancy sensors in large parking areas
  • Air quality: Pollution monitoring around industrial complexes
  • Noise monitoring: Sound level measurement near residential areas

Supply chain:

  • Cold chain monitoring: Temperature tracking during transportation
  • Cargo tracking: Location en condition monitoring van shipping containers
  • Fleet management: Vehicle location, fuel consumption monitoring
  • Logistics optimization: Real-time tracking voor delivery optimization

Network advantages:

  • Low infrastructure cost: Minimal gateway requirements voor large coverage
  • Easy deployment: Simple sensor installation without complex networking
  • Scalable growth: Easy addition van new sensors to existing network
  • Reliable coverage: Good penetration through buildings en vegetation

Gerelateerde begrippen

Verwante termen:

  • BLE - Short-range alternative voor local sensor networks
  • 5G - High-bandwidth alternative voor real-time applications
  • WiFi - Local area networking alternative with higher data rates
  • IIoT - Industrial IoT applications using LoRaWAN connectivity

Verwante concepten:

  • LPWAN - Low-power wide-area network category including LoRaWAN
  • Edge computing - Local processing reducing LoRaWAN data transmission
  • Sensor networks - Distributed sensing architectures using LoRaWAN
  • Smart city - Urban applications leveraging LoRaWAN infrastructure

Bronnen

  • LoRa Alliance - Organization promoting LoRaWAN standard
  • The Things Network - Community-driven LoRaWAN network provider
  • KPN LoRa - Dutch nationwide LoRaWAN network coverage
  • Semtech - Developer van LoRa radio technology
  • MultiTech - LoRaWAN gateways en development platforms
  • Kerlink - Industrial-grade LoRaWAN network infrastructure
  • Actility - ThingPark LoRaWAN network server platform

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