A brief introduction to LoRaWAN given at the Webnesday in St. Gallen on January 11th 2017. The focus is to give an idea on what LoRaWAN is, why it helps for IoT applications and how to use it (in Switzerland).

1. Introduction to
LoRaWAN
Martin Haas
Webnesday (11.01.2017)
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2. About me
• Martin Haas (@tineler)
• Founder & Engineer @adnexo_gmbh
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https://www.adnexo.ch

3. Overview
• What?
• Why?
• How?
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4. LoRaWHAAAAT?
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5. 18.01.2017 5
LoRa WAN
Long Range Wide Area Network

6. LoRa
• Layer 1 (physical)
• Enables long-range communication link
• Highly dependent on environment
• Cities / buildings: ~ 2.5km
• Countryside: up to 45km+
• Data rate 0.3 – 50 kbps
• Frequency band (Europe): 868 MHz
• Duty cycle 1%
• 36 Sekunden / h
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7. Data Rates
• Adaptive data rate scheme (ADR)
• “Use lower spreading factor if signal is strong”
• SF =
𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑙 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
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Source: https://blog.surf.nl/en/lora-the-internet-of-things

8. LoRaWAN
• Defines communication protocol and
system architecture
• Specified by LoRa Alliance (cisco, IBM,
Semtech, TTN, Swisscom, BFH, …)
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9. Architecture
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Source: https://www.lora-alliance.org/portals/0/documents/whitepapers/LoRaWAN101.pdf

10. Device Classes
• Class A
• Two short receive windows after uplink
• Class B
• Slotted communication
• Class C
• Receives continuously
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11. Information stored in end-device
• Device Address (DevAddr, 32 bits)
• 7 MSB: Network Identifier (NwkID)
• 25 LSB: Network Address (NwkAddr)
• Application Identifier (AppEUI)
• Network session key (NwkSKey)
• Application session key (AppSKey)
• Frame Counters
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12. Activation by Personalization (ABP)
• Manually configured
• DevAddr
• NwkSKey (unique!)
• AppSKey (unique!)
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13. Over-the-Air Activation (OTAA)
• Manually configured
• End-device identifier (DevEUI, 64 bits)
• AppEUI
• AES-128 key (AppKey)
• From accept message
• DevAddr
• NwkSKey
• AppSKey
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14. Network Architecture
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Source: https://www.lora-alliance.org/portals/0/documents/whitepapers/LoRaWAN101.pdf

15. Security
• Security on network level
• Unique Network Key
• Security on application level
• Unique Application Key
• Secure usage required!
• Find more on the Internet…
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16. YAWT???
Yet Another Wireless Technology?
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17. Different Wireless Technologies
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Source: Swisscom

18. IoT challenges
• Sensing a complex environment
• Connectivity
• Power is critical
• Security is vital
• IoT is complex
• Cloud is important
• Device Updates
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19. 18.01.2017 19

20. Kind of…
• Sensing a complex environment 
• Connectivity 
• Power is critical 
• Security is vital 
• IoT is complex 
• Cloud is important 
• Device Updates 
 helps  helps not  improves
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21. How?
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22. What you need
• End-Device
• Access to a Network
• Gateway
• Account
• Little programming skills
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23. End-Device
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24. Send message (MicroPython)
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25. Gateways
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26. Networks (in Switzerland)
• The Things Network
• LORIOT
• Swisscom LPN
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27. The Things Network
• Worldwide, free Network for makers
• Driven by communities
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28. The Things Network in Switzerland
• https://ttn-ch.slack.com
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29. The Things Network
• Free of charge
• Open Source
• Active user base
• Register Applications and Gateways here:
• https://console.thethingsnetwork.org
• Streaming Data using MQTT (more to come)
• Clients available for Java, Node-RED, Node.js
• Define Payload functions online
• Data Storage Integration
https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/
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30. TTN – Node.js Client
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var ttn = require('ttn');
var client = new ttn.Client(region, appId, appAccessKey, [options]);
client.on('connect', function cb(connack) {});
client.on('message', [deviceId], [field], function cb(deviceId, data) {});

31. Response
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"port": 1,
"counter": 10,
"payload_raw": {
"type": "Buffer",
"data": [ 1 ]
},
"payload_fields": { "led": true },
"metadata": {
"time": "2016-09-07T12:50:07.068771281Z",
"frequency": 868.1,
"modulation": "LORA",
"data_rate": "SF7BW125",
"coding_rate": "4/5",
"gateways": [{
"gtw_id": "0000024B08060112",
"timestamp": 3955426155,
"time": "2016-09-07T12:50:07.053048Z",
"channel": 4,
"rssi": -109,
"snr": 5.8,
"rf_chain": 1 ]}
}

32. LORIOT
• Free of charge up to 10 end-devices and 1
Gateway
• Possibility of “private networks”
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33. LORIOT
• Build-in Output Types
• Amazon AWS IoT
• IBM Bluemix IoT Foundation
• HTTP Push
• Iron.io IronMQ
• PubNub
• TLS Socket
• WebSocket
• Azure IoT Hub
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34. Swisscom
• 80% of Swiss population covered
• For enterprise customers
• HTTP request
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35. Swisscom
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36. Swisscom
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Source: Swisscom

37. Swisscom
• Disclaimer
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«Die Abdeckungskarten zeigen die Verfügbarkeit des LPN-Services für den
Aussenbereich (Strassen, Trottoirs, öffentliche Plätze, etc.). Die ausgewiesene
Versorgung beruht auf Prädiktionen, die nicht alle Feinheiten der
Ausbreitungscharakteristik eines LoRa-Funksignals berücksichtigen können.
Die Angaben zur zukünftigen Abdeckung stellen die momentane Planung dar,
die definitiv realisierte Abdeckung kann davon abweichen. Bei den
vorliegenden Karten und Abdeckungs-Angaben handelt es sich deshalb um
eine ungefähre Indikation und Swisscom kann für die aufgezeigte LPN-
Service-Abdeckung entsprechend keine Gewähr übernehmen.»

38. The End!
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