THE IoT
How LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol are helping to transform smart cities
Semtech explores the goals of implementing smart city technology using LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol
C
ities are adopting new smart solutions to manage services, improve quality of life and reduce operating expenses in a sustainable way. Elements of the smart city are already upon us but the technology is continually evolving in order for many cities around the world to create a sustainable infrastructure. Such an infrastructure will incorporate smart governance, energy, mobility and healthcare… and even smart citizens. A key enabler for governments and municipalities looking to provide sustainable and more efficient services for the increasing numbers of people adopting an urban lifestyle is the long-range solution from Semtech, LoRa. Combined with low-power, wide area networks (LPWANs) based on the LoRaWAN protocol, the technology allows cities to collect and analyse data from
32 MAY 2021 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
thousands of connected devices so that intelligent decisions can be made about services provided.
A major benefit of LoRaWAN-based networks is that minimal infrastructure is needed to deliver secure, bi-directional communication with long data transmission ranges over an entire urban area. Also, LoRa’s smart city applications use wireless sensors with a battery life of up to 10 years.
Smart city initiatives
Wide area networks – which make the Internet of Things (IoT) possible – connect thousands of devices to gather, process and analyse data across Cloud-based or enterprise-based systems. Examples of the initiatives that the IoT enables include smart parking which helps to improve traffic flow, smart traffic lights that ease traffic
congestion by directing vehicles and people down the most efficient routes and smart street lighting which helps reduce the significant cost of providing well-lit streets while also cutting energy consumption. Other smart city initiatives have seen municipalities given accurate and real-time reports on when traffic lights have malfunctioned or been damaged, helping to reduce traffic congestion, potential accidents and other hazardous situations. Likewise, smart building systems are able to provide real-time data that relates to vibrations or other physical conditions in buildings, bridges and historical monuments. This method of predictive maintenance can ensure structures are maintained properly and repair costs are kept to a minimum. For years, local authorities tasked with waste management have struggled with
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