Wireless communication technology comparison

A. LoRa Vs LoRaWAN

Lora and LoraWAN each have their own unique technical characteristics and application scenarios. Senselora is more suitable for small-range iot applications, emphasizing low power consumption and long-distance communication; Agrosense is more suitable for large-scale iot applications, simplifying the registration, activation and maintenance of devices by providing a complete network architecture and centralized management, and supporting large-scale device connectivity. Users can choose the corresponding products according to their specific needs.

	LoRa	LoRaWAN
Technology level	Modulation techniques, defining physical layer and data link layer specifications.	Communication protocol, Define network layer and application layer specifications.
Coverage area	Smaller range, point-to-point or star topology.	Wider range, suitable for star, tree and network topologies.
Communication mode	Data is transmitted directly from the sending device to the receiving device.	All nodes communicate with the network server through the gateway.
Security	LoRa is primarily focused on modulation techniques at the physical layer, so it may be relatively weak in terms of security.	There is a relatively complete security protection mechanism, including device authentication, data encryption and integrity protection.
Applicable scene	Small scale iot applications, such as home automation systems, smart agriculture, etc.	Large-scale iot applications, such as urban intelligence, industrial Internet of Things, intelligent transportation systems, etc.
Product	Makerfabs SenseLoRa	Makerfabs AgroSense

B. Comparison between LoRa and other communication methods


	NB-IoT	LoRa	ZigBee	WIFI	Buletooth	4G
Network Deployment	Node	Node + Gateway	Node + Gateway	Node + route	Node + concentrator	Node
Transmission Range	Determined by base station coverage	Long distance (city 2km, suburban up to 15km)	Short distance (10m to 100m)	50m	10m	Determined by base station coverage
Number of single network access	About 20w	The theory can reach 65535, generally 500-5000	More than 6w in theory, 200-500 in general	20-50	Bluetooth main device, can communicate with up to 7 devices	About 20w
Battery life	Theoretical 5 years /AA battery	Theoretical 5 years /AA battery	Theoretical 2 years /AA battery	several hours	several days	several hours
Frequency band	For license frequency bands and carrier frequency bands, you need to purchase data traffic	Unlicensed frequency bands (433, 470, 868, 915MHz, etc.), no later fees	Unlicensed frequency bands (2、4G ), no later fees	Unlicensed frequency bands (2、4G和5G ), no later fees	Unlicensed frequency bands (2、4G ), no later fees	For license frequency bands and carrier frequency bands, you need to purchase data traffic
Transmission rate	Theoretically 160kbp-250kbp	0.3-50kbp	Theoretically 160kbp-250kbp	2.4G:1M-11Mbps，5G:1M-500Mbps	≤1Mbps	Uplink rate 150Mbps and downlink rate 50Mbps
Rate variable	Fixed	The SF7-SF12 are variable	Nothing	It's decided by the channel, the chip	Fixed	Fixed
Network delay	≥6s	≥2s	≥1s	≤1s	≤1s	≤80ms
Advantage	Low power consumption Low cost High coverage	Low power consumption Long distance High security	Low power consumption Low cost High security	High speed Shared benefits	Low power consumption High security	High speed
Disadvantage	Low speed	Low speed	Low speed Short distance	High power consumption Low coverage	Short distance Low coverage	High power consumption High cost
Suitable field	Low data/speed IOT applications	Low data/speed IOT applications	Indoor low speed applications	Indoor high speed applications	Indoor scenes	High speed request applications

C. SenseLora

How to select？

Option 1：Monitor + SenseLoRa_LoRa Receiver.

The Lora receiver work with SenseLora modules, it receive LoRa signal around and forward to computer, so the data can be displayed/recorded and analysis via the computer.

This receiver features:

1、Plug-n-Play. Just plug it into your PC USB port to start to use it, it receives LoRa data with the same frequency;

2、High sensitivity antenna. We prepared antenna with long wires, so the antenna can be installed outside of house, to make it receives LoRa data as long as possible. Tested with Makerfabs air monitor, the distance can be at least 3km, suitable for most farm applications.

3、LoRa data can be displayed/Recorded by any COMM port or stored in SD card. Besides, MF LoRa Receiver Python for storage to Excel, for data analysis.

Option 2：Monitor + SenseLoRa_4G LTE CAT1 Gateway.

The 4G LTE CAT1 Gateway work with SenseLora modules, it get the LoRa data and then transmit the data via 4G to cloud server such as TTN, or the monitors phone with SMS.

This receiver features:

1、Flexible data transmission. It supports the direct transmission of data collected by LoRa to the cloud server (such as TTN) through the 4G network, which facilitates the centralized processing, analysis and storage of data.

2、Remote monitoring and real-time response. By monitoring mobile phones through SMS messages, users can obtain real-time device status information and respond to anomalies in a timely manner. This immediate feedback mechanism is essential for application scenarios that require rapid response, such as emergency alarm, environmental monitoring, etc.

For more info, please check：

Monitor：

1、SenseLoRa_Industrial-grade Soil Remote Monitor V2(Soil Humidity/ Temperature/ PH/)

2、SenseLoRa_Industrial-grade Air Monitor(Air Humidity/ Temperature/CO2/light/Raw Ethanol,etc)

Receiver：

1、SenseLoRa_LoRa Receiver

2、SenseLoRa_4G LTE CAT1 Gateway

D. Agrosense

Makerfabs agrosense based on Lorawan, include Carbon dioxide(CO2) sensor、Air Temperature and Humidity Sensor、RTD PT1000 Temperature Sensor、Soil Moisture Sensor、Light Intensity Sensor、Barometric Pressure Sensor.