Get to know LoRaWAN®: The connectivity game-changer for Industry 4.0

To this day, IoT implementations face a myriad of challenges, and connectivity is one of them. Legacy systems are costly and hard to implement, when they aren’t obsolete, hampering agility. Some other technologies like Wi-Fi are very affordable, but also very insecure for industrial applications and their high-security standards. Innovative communication protocols are now disrupting the industry and making it possible to cost-effectively implement compliant solutions. In this article, get to know one of these innovative technologies: LoRaWAN®. Its fundamentals, scope, how it operates, and some of the many Industry 4.0 applications that it enables.

Introduction
Disruptive technologies like LoRaWAN® are facilitating the adoption of Industry 4.0 where legacy tech would not work or not meet the necessary compliance requirements. And this is where LoRaWAN® truly shines: wirelessly, with a range of up to 15 kilometers and low power consumption allowing for years worth of battery life - added to a no-code approach - it makes implementing unobtrusive monitoring a breeze. The use cases are limitless and they are already deployed in many successful implementations all over the world.

Defining LoRaWAN®
The LoRaWAN® specification is a Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect battery operated ‘things’ to the internet in regional, national, or global networks, and targets key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements such as bi-directional Ceccommunication, end-to-end security, mobility and localization services.
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Specifics of operating with LoRaWAN®
There are typically three main components on a Network: Sensors, Gateways, and Cloud Network Servers. Sensors, acting as nodes, forward the information they collect to a Gateway or multiple ones. These Gateways are the ones that connect to the cloud and send the information to the Network Server for processing, either via ethernet or cellular depending on availability and ease of getting a hardwired connection to the company’s network.

​Schematics of a typical LoRaWAN® network courtesy of the LoRa® Alliance.

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How is LoRaWAN® being used in the Manufacturing industry?
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LoRaWAN® applications are the perfect choice for providing innovative solutions, increasing efficiency, reliability, safety and security, and so much more within industrial processes and products. A network of stick-and-play sensors providing workers with real-time data via the Cloud is a powerful tool that can affect all aspects of the manufacturing process. Here are a few use cases of LoRaWAN® technology solutions being implemented in factories:

• Temperature and humidity monitoring
• Air quality
• Legacy equipment visibility
• Tracking and tracing of tools and parts
• Condition-based monitoring and Predictive maintenance (motors, generators, pumps, etc)
• Power consumption and carbon footprint measurement
• Unobtrusive monitoring, without interfering with current solutions such as SCADA.

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Get started with LoRaWAN®
Still need more information? You can check the LoRa Alliance website for more resources on  LoRaWAN® or download the entire technical overview here.
If you are ready to take the next step, our experts are ready to assist you and get to know your company’s particular challenges. Feel free to reach out to us or schedule a meeting.