LoRa Technology

LoRa. Yeah, that weird long-range radio stuff. LPWAN – Low Power Wide Area Network, or as I like to call it: "Let’s Pray We Actually Network". It's meant for talking far with barely any juice. Not fast. Not reliable. But hey – if all you need is a few bytes to make it across a cow field every now and then, this is your jam.

Vendor and URL

This glorious mess is pushed by:
Main vendor: Semtech (they hold the LoRa IP like a dragon hoarding gold)
Official docs: https://www.lora-alliance.org
If the link’s dead – blame the marketing department, not me.

Technical Public Documentation

They wrote stuff. Mostly PDFs. Some buried in GitHub repos that haven't seen a commit since 2019. But it exists:
Full spec: LoRaWAN Specs
GitHub repo: https://github.com/Lora-net
Read first, whine later.

Overview

LoRa is for long-range, low-data, low-power communication. It’s not Wi-Fi. It’s not Zigbee. It’s more like shouting binary over mountains. Great for sensors, not so much for Netflix.

Architecture

It’s got end devices (the ones doing the actual sensing), gateways (that pick up the signal), and a network server (usually hiding in the cloud like a sysadmin on vacation). Star topology, mostly. No mesh. Mesh is too hipster for LoRa.

Device Roles

End devices: Send data. Maybe sleep a lot. Gateways: Listen and forward. No brains. Servers: Process packets and cry when the signal sucks. Coordinators? Nah. LoRaWAN doesn't do Zigbee drama. It's more of a passive-aggressive system.

Channelization

LoRa hops around like it's had too much coffee. Spreads across sub-GHz frequencies (EU: 868 MHz, US: 915 MHz). Fixed channels, semi-dynamic plans, duty cycles that make your packets wait like it's rush hour. Oh, and if you thought your Wi-Fi had interference problems – wait till your neighbor runs a LoRaWAN on the same band.

Frames

A LoRa frame is a minimalistic packet that includes MAC headers, payload, maybe some security bits, and a CRC if someone remembered. It’s lean. Too lean sometimes. But enough to say, “Hey, temperature is 23°C” – and not much else.

Networking

Not peer-to-peer. Sorry. It’s star-of-stars. End devices talk to gateways, gateways forward to the cloud. IPv6? Nah. Proprietary MAC layer all the way. LoRaWAN is the protocol on top, and that’s where the “networking” lives. Device discovery? Pre-configured, mostly. You don’t just show up uninvited.

Security

It’s got AES-128. App keys, network keys, join sessions. Better than nothing, worse than TLS. Security depends on implementation, and some vendors don’t care. Yes, someone could sniff your cow's location if you’re sloppy. Don’t be sloppy.

Networking Process

Power up. Join via OTAA (over-the-air) or ABP (already-baked-in). Then send your bits. Wait. Sleep for hours. Maybe days. If no ACK? Retry. Or don’t. Battery's more important than your ego. The network decides if you're worthy.

Use Cases

Used in smart agriculture (cows, crops, tractors), water meters (because who wants to go into a manhole?), industrial sensors, asset tracking, and the occasional smart trash bin. Real-world? Yes. Glamorous? Nope. But it works where 5G cries.