LoRa, short for “Long Range,” is a wireless communication technology designed for long-distance, low-power data transmission. It is particularly well-suited for Internet of Things (IoT) applications that require devices to operate over extended ranges with minimal power consumption.
What Is LoRa?
LoRa is a proprietary radio modulation technique developed by Cycleo, a French company acquired by Semtech in 2012. It utilizes Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation, which encodes information on radio waves using chirp pulses. This method is robust against interference and allows for long-range communication with low power usage. LoRa operates on unlicensed sub-gigahertz frequency bands, such as 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz, depending on regional regulations.
What Is LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is the communication protocol and system architecture built on top of the LoRa physical layer. It defines how devices communicate with gateways and manage aspects like data rates, power levels, and security. LoRaWAN enables scalable, bi-directional communication for IoT devices across regional, national, or global networks.