Friday, March 29, 2024
ExplainerInternet of Things

LPWA – Low-Power Wide-Area

LPWA – IoT connectivity that works over wide areas and with longer battery life.

Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) technology is enabling the next big jump towards a connected world and IoT. Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) technology is enabling the next big jump towards a connected world and IoT. LPWA networks are designed for IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications that have low data rates, require long battery life and optimized cost, and operate in remote and hard to reach locations. They will be easy to implement and deploy, and serve a number of vertical markets such as manufacturing, wearable, utilities and transport.

The term LPWA may be relatively new, but the concept of low-cost, low-power connectivity has been around for a while with other names: Machine-to-Machine (M2M), Wireless Sensor Networking (WSN), Internet-of-Things (IoT), etc.

LPWA formally got its start through a French company called Sigfox. Sigfox developed an alternative telecommunication system after realizing that the needs of low-power, low-data rate Internet of Things (IoT) devices were being poorly met by cellular networks.

Today, Sigfox isn’t the only organization creating LPWA technology. The LoRa Alliance developed LoRa, another radio frequency technology that uses unlicensed radio spectrum to enable low power, wide area communication between devices.

Key Characteristics of LPWA

• Low power consumption that enables devices to last up to 10 years on a single charge
• Optimized data transfer that supports small, intermittent blocks of data
• Low device unit cost
• Easy installation of the network
• Optimized for low throughput, long or short distance
• Sufficient indoor penetration and coverage

NB-IoT Is One of the Best Solutions for LPWA because of the Following Advantages.

• Improved indoor coverage
• Low power consumption
• Massive connections
• +20dB better than GSM
• 10Yrs battery life
• 50K connections per cell

Application Fields

● IoT Public 
IoT public focuses on LPWA applications that serve the general public, such as smart metering, alarms & event detectors and smart garbage bins.

IoT Appliance
Management becomes more efficient through improvements in big data analysis. IoT appliance mainly comprises of LPWA applications that aim to provide intelligence for the user through sensors and devices that are found in the local area.
● IoT Personal
IoT personal largely features LPWA applications that create a personal area network for the purposes of information exchange for the user, such as wearable, smart bicycle and kids monitoring.
● IoT Industry
IoT Industry mainly delivers low power wide area applications that help to improve general enterprise and industrial efficiency, including logistics tracking, asset tracking and smart agriculture.

Harshvardhan Mishra

Hi, I'm Harshvardhan Mishra. Tech enthusiast and IT professional with a B.Tech in IT, PG Diploma in IoT from CDAC, and 6 years of industry experience. Founder of HVM Smart Solutions, blending technology for real-world solutions. As a passionate technical author, I simplify complex concepts for diverse audiences. Let's connect and explore the tech world together! If you want to help support me on my journey, consider sharing my articles, or Buy me a Coffee! Thank you for reading my blog! Happy learning! Linkedin

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