Integration of LPWANs in Industrial IoT (IoT) Applications

Low-power WAN (LPWAN) is a wireless wide area network technology that interconnects low-bandwidth, battery-powered devices with low bit rates over long ranges. Created for machine to machine and Internet of Things networks, LPWANs operate at a lower cost with greater power efficiency than traditional mobile networks. They are also able to support a greater number of connected devices over a larger area.

LPWANs can accommodate packet sizes from 10 to 1,000 bytes at uplink speeds up to 200 Kbps. LPWAN's long range varies from 2 km to 1,000 km, depending on the technology. Most LPWANs have a star topology where, similar to WiFi, each endpoint connects directly to common central access points. 

Following are the advantages of LPWAN:

The LPWAN network offers longer range from 5 Km to 30 Km.

The LPWAN devices will consume low power and hence they offer longer life time (Approx. 10 years).

The LPWAN devices (i.e. sensors) and gateways are lower in cost.

The LPWAN network requires few number of APs (i.e. BSs or Gateways) to cover larger distances across the city or country.

The use of sub GHz frequency band in LPWAN makes the system robust to operate under complex channel environments.

The LPWAN signal offers high amount of penetration through walls and building basements.

It offers simple network installation and easy network management due to smart architecture.

It offers secured data communication between nodes and Gateways due to use of encryption algorithms.

Types of LPWANs

Sigfox – The most used LPWAN today. Running over a public network in the 868 MHz or 902 MHz bands, the ultra-narrowband technology only allows a single operator per country. While it can deliver messages over distances of 30-50 km in rural areas, 3-10 km in urban settings and up to 1,000 km in line-of-site applications, its packet size is limited to 150 messages of 12 bytes per day. Downlink packets are smaller, limited to four messages of 8 bytes per day. Sending data back to endpoints can also be prone to interference.

Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) – RPMA is a proprietary LPWAN from Ingenu Inc.

Though it has a shorter range (up to 50 km line of sight and with 5-10 km non-line of sight), it offers better bidirectional communication than Sigfox. However, because it runs in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, it is prone to interference from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and physical structures. It also typically has higher power consumption than other LPWAN options.

LoRa – It is specified and backed by the LoRa Alliance. Transmits in several sub-gigahertz frequencies, making it less prone to interference. A derivative of chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation, LoRa allows users to define packet size. While open source, the underlying transceiver chip used to implement LoRa is only available from Semtech Corporation, the company behind the technology. LoRaWAN is the media access control (MAC) layer protocol that manages communication between LPWAN devices and gateways.

Applications on LPWANS in IoT

Predictive Maintenance: Through the use of LPWAN-enabled sensors, industries can gather real-time data regarding equipment conditions (for instance, temperature, pressure, or vibration levels). Analyzing this data facilitates predictive maintenance; thus, potential issues are identified and resolved before they culminate in expensive equipment failures or significant downtime.

Asset Tracking: In sectors characterized by large, mobile inventories, LPWAN proves beneficial for the efficient tracking of assets over expansive areas. Technologies such as LoRaWAN enable tracking across considerable distances, which makes it easier for logistics, manufacturing and agriculture companies to oversee the movement and status of assets in real-time.

Environmental Monitoring: LPWAN-powered sensors, when deployed throughout industrial sites, assist in monitoring environmental factors, including air quality, temperature and humidity. This is crucial for industries like mining, where maintaining safe working conditions and adhering to regulations is vital. However, there are challenges that must be addressed to optimize these systems.

Smart Metering: (LPWANs) play a crucial role in facilitating smart metering solutions that gather real-time data on utility consumption—such as water or electricity. For industries, this allows for optimized resource management and significant cost savings. However, it also supports adherence to environmental standards because it promotes efficiency. Although the benefits are clear, there are challenges to consider; this technology must be implemented thoughtfully.

Conclusion

In the world of Industrial IoT, LPWAN is a very transformative technology that enables cost-effective, low-power, and wide-range connectivity across a lot of applications like predictive maintenance, asset tracking, environmental monitoring and smart metering. Despite there being challenges like data limitations and security concerns, LPWAN’s advantages makes it a core enabler for IoT. As technology continues to grow, LPWAN’s role in IoT will only grow with it, driving industrial sectors toward smarter, more efficient, and automated operations for the future.