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In recent years, we often hear about IoT (Internet of Things): environmental sensors, smart meters, connected cities, smart agriculture. Behind many of these systems lies a communication technology that is not very visible but fundamental: LoRa.
In this article, we will see what LoRa is, how it works, why it is different from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and when it is convenient to use it, with practical examples and technical concepts explained intuitively.
What is LoRa
LoRa (Long Range) is a radio communication technology designed to:
- transmit small amounts of data
- over long distances (kilometers)
- consuming very little energy
It is designed for devices such as sensors, actuators, and meters that must operate for years on a battery, sending data only occasionally.
LoRa is not the Internet, but a radio technology. It is often used together with LoRaWAN, which is the network protocol that allows LoRa devices to be connected to servers and cloud applications.
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Why LoRa is different from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
To understand LoRa, it is useful to compare it with more familiar technologies:
| Technology | Distance | Data Rate | Consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Tens of meters | High | High |
| Bluetooth | Meters | Medium | Medium |
| LoRa | Kilometers | Very low | Very low |
👉 LoRa sacrifices speed to achieve battery life and range.
A LoRa device is not made for sending images or audio, but for saying things like:
- “The temperature is 18.3 °C”
- “The water level has dropped”
- “This meter has consumed 12 kWh”
How LoRa works
1. Low-frequency radio communication
LoRa uses unlicensed frequency bands (in Europe typically 868 MHz). These frequencies penetrate walls, vegetation, and obstacles better than Wi-Fi or 4G.
2. LoRa Modulation
The “trick” of LoRa is a radio modulation called Chirp Spread Spectrum.
Without going into mathematical details, it means that:
- the signal is very robust against noise
- it can be received even if it is very weak
- it enables long-distance communications
The price to pay is a very low speed (from a few hundred bit/s to a few kb/s).
Practical applications
LoRa is already widely used in:
- Smart city (lighting, parking, waste)
- Agriculture (soil moisture, weather, irrigation)
- Industry (plant monitoring, predictive maintenance)
- Energy and utilities (gas, water, electricity meters)
- Environment (air quality, water levels)
Typical architecture of a LoRa system
A complete LoRa system is composed of:
1. Device (end node)
It is the sensor or actuator in the field:
- temperature sensor
- humidity sensor
- meter
- alarm button
It often works on battery and transmits only when needed.
2. LoRa Gateway
It is a kind of “smart antenna” that:
- receives LoRa messages from many devices
- forwards them to the Internet (via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or 4G)
A single gateway can cover an entire urban or industrial area.
3. Network server and application
Here the data are:
- decoded
- stored
- viewed on dashboards
- used to send alarms or commands
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LoRa vs LoRaWAN: important clarification
- LoRa → radio technology (physical layer)
- LoRaWAN → network protocol that manages:
- security
- addressing
- device management
- message routing
In practice, when talking about real solutions, it almost always means LoRaWAN.
Main advantages of LoRa
🔋 Ultra-low power consumption
A sensor can operate for 5–10 years on a single battery.
📡 Wide coverage
- City: 2–5 km
- Countryside: even over 10–15 km
🧩 Scalability
Thousands of devices can communicate with a few gateways.
🔒 Security
LoRaWAN integrates end-to-end encryption of data.
Limitations to know
LoRa is not the solution for everything:
- ❌ very low speed
- ❌ not suitable for continuous communications
- ❌ regulatory limits on transmission time (duty cycle)
- ❌ high latency
In other words: perfect for “little and occasionally,” terrible for “much and immediately.”
When to choose LoRa
LoRa is a good choice if:
- data are few
- transmissions are sporadic
- you need wide coverage
- battery life is critical
- operating cost must be low
If high speed or real-time communications are needed instead, other technologies (LTE, NB-IoT, Wi-Fi) are more suitable.
Conclusion
LoRa is a key technology for IoT because it solves a specific problem: communicating over long distances with minimal consumption.
It does not replace Wi-Fi or cellular networks, but complements them, paving the way for distributed, autonomous, and scalable systems.
Understanding LoRa means understanding one of the fundamental building blocks of the modern Internet of Things.
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