LoRaWAN Sensors: Use Dragino to build your next low-power LoRaWAN IoT projects!
What kind of wireless communication method would you normally choose when building an IoT project? For starters, you would go with Wi-Fi which is the most general wireless communication method.
But what if there is a better wireless solution with a longer range than Wi-Fi which is low cost and more secure? LoRaWAN is the best solution for this. It gets you out of the trouble of setting up Wi-Fi routers, access points, and network security programs and lets you conveniently set up your network with ease.
This blog will introduce about LoRaWAN and different types of LoRaWAN sensors that are capable of performing different functions for various applications.
What is LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN is a Low power, Wide-area (LPWA) networking protocol that wirelessly connects battery-operated devices in a regional, national, or global network. It targets IoT needs like secure bi-directional communication, mobility, and localization services by leveraging on unlicensed radio spectrum in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. The network architecture of LoRaWAN is laid out in a star-of-stars topology where gateways are a transparent bridge that relays messages between end-devices and a central network server in the back end as seen on the image below. Gateways are connected to a network server via Standard IP connection and end-devices use single-hop wireless communication to one or many gateways
Why Choose LoRaWAN over Wi-Fi?
Now let’s compare the differences between LoRaWAN and Wi-Fi
| LoRaWAN | Wi-Fi |
|---|---|
| Connects devices over a longer range (15-20km) | Connects devices over a shorter range (100m) |
| Low power consumption | Slightly higher power consumption |
| No additional hardware setup needed | Needs additional Wi-Fi routers to setup |
| Low Cost | Slightly higher cost |
More advantages of using LoRaWAN technology
• Secure: Features end-to-end AES128 encryption, mutual authentication, integrity protection, and confidentiality.
• Standardized: Offers device interoperability and global availability of LoRaWAN networks for speedy deployment of IoT applications anywhere
• Low Cost: Reduces battery replacement expenses and operating expenses (eg. LR operates on unlicensed frequency spectrums = no fees or license charges).
• Flexible: Like Wi-Fi, LoRaWAN operates in the unlicensed band and supports indoor applications; like Cellular, LR Technology is highly secure from end devices to the application server and is suitable for outdoor applications.
By analyzing the above features, we can see that LoRaWAN is an ideal solution for indoor and outdoor IoT applications that need to be installed in public, private, or hybrid networks.
Generally, LoRaWAN devices can be divided into two main categories:
- LR Nodes
- LR Gateways
LR Nodes
LR Nodes are typically LR embedded sensors that are temperature sensors, accelerometers, GPS modules, and much more. These LR nodes are normally battery-powered and the power consumption is very low. LR embedded sensors that run on battery power can generally last from 2–5 years. Also, these sensors are designed to work for a specific frequency range and therefore one sensor with a particular frequency range might not work in another country.
We offer a wide selection of LR embedded sensors on our Seeed Studio Bazaar and we hope these can help you build your next LoRaWAN based IoT projects!
Temperature and Humidity Sensors
Temperature and Humidity Sensors are widely used in environmental projects and having LoRaWAN connectivity with such kind of sensor is very useful in remote environmental projects.
Dragino LoRaWAN Temperature & Humidity Sensor is a LR embedded sensor with a built-in SHT20 temperature & humidity sensor and has an external sensor connector to connect to external sensors such as temperature sensors, soil moisture sensors, tilt sensors, etc. This can be very suitable for professional wireless sensor network applications such as irrigation systems, smart metering, smart cities, building automation, and so on.
This sensor is offered in 2 versions:
Door Sensors
Do you often forget to close your door and want a solution to the problem?
Dragino LoRaWAN Door Sensor is a door sensor that can detect open/close status of the door and uplink to the LoRaWAN network. It is a small sensor with a dimension of 64 x 30 x 14 mm. This will send periodically data every day as well as for each door open/close action. It also counts the door open times and calculates the last door open duration. The sensor looks like below when it is set up in a LoRaWAN network.
This sensor is offered in 2 versions:
Water Leak Sensors
Is the water going to waste because there is no way to detect when there is a water leak?
Dragino LoRaWAN Water Leak Sensor is a sensor that can detect the water leak status and send the data to the LoRaWAN network. It is a compact size sensor with a dimension of 64 x 30 x 14 mm. This sensor will send periodical data including water leak events to the LoRaWAN network every day. It can also count the number of water leak events and calculate the duration of the last water leak event. The sensor looks like below when it is set up in a LoRaWAN network.
This sensor is offered in 2 versions:
GPS Trackers
Are you looking for a GPS tracker without needing to connect to a cellular service and also consume low power?
Dragino LoRaWAN GPS Tracker LGT-92 is an open-source GPS tracker based on Ultra-Low-Power STM32L072 MCU and SX1276/1278 LR Module. LGT-92 includes a low power GPS module L70 and a 9-axis IMU for motion and altitude detection. The power for both the GPS module and the IMU can be controlled by MCU to achieve the best energy profile for different applications. The sensor looks like below when it is set up in a LoRaWAN network.
Compared to traditional GPS trackers (base on GPRS or Cellular network), this uses much lower power consumption hence can last for a longer time. It doesn’t need cellular service; system integrator can build their tracking network base on LoRaWAN technology or Join the device to existing LoRaWAN networks.
This sensor is offered in 2 versions:
LR Gateways
The above-mentioned nodes are connected to a gateway via the LR protocol and then the gateway is connected to the Internet of Things via Wi-FI, ethernet, or other ways.
We offer different types of gateways and you can choose according to your requirements. When choosing a LR gateway, be sure to choose the frequency band that is right for your country.
You can explore different versions of LR Gateways here.
LR IO Controllers
LR IO controllers contain different I/O Interfaces such as analog current Input, analog voltage input, relay output, digital input, and digital output, etc. The LT I/O Modules are designed to simplify the installation of I/O monitoring.
We offer different types of gateways and you can choose according to your requirements. When choosing a LR gateway, be sure to choose the frequency band that is right for your country.
You can explore different versions of LR IO Controller here.
LR Transceiver Modules for developers
These are small IoT development boards offering a very compelling mix of long-range, low power consumption, and secure data transmission.
Especially the Dragino LR ST IoT Module is designed to facilitate developers to quickly deploy industrial level LR and IoT solutions. It helps users to turn the idea into a practical application and make the Internet of Things a reality. It is easy to program, create, and connect your things everywhere.
This sensor is offered in 2 versions:
We hope this blog was helpful to educate you with LoRaWAN Technology and looking forward to seeing building exciting projects using this technology!
We have also released the following blogs and don’t forget to check them as well!
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