Low power, wide area – the LPWAN wireless technologies specially developed for the Internet of Things score points with their low energy consumption and long range. An overview.
Quite a few IoT applications place tricky demands on the mobile networking of the associated systems and devices via radio. For smart electricity meters, emergency lighting or heat pumps, the radio signal must be able to pass through thick basement walls. Radio modules on remote pipelines or measuring stations have to manage without an external power supply and also offer a long range. And in the city, thousands and thousands of car parks, street lamps or waste bins need to be networked as cost-effectively as possible. One technology is ideally suited to such challenges: Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN).
The abbreviation LPWAN stands for Low Power Wide Area Networks and refers to wireless radio networks that have been specially developed for the Internet of Things (IoT). LPWA standards such as NB-IoT and LTE-M are characterised by their long range, low energy consumption and low costs.
Simply fill out the contact form – we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
LPWAN includes a good dozen different technologies, some proprietary, some standardised, with different performance characteristics. They all have a high range and low energy consumption in common. The best way to categorise them is into two groups: licensed and unlicensed (see info box). The four best-known standards are LoRaWAN, Sigfox, NB-IoT and LTE-M.
LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network), often abbreviated to LoRa, is a proprietary network protocol developed by the US company Semtech. LoRa networks consist of the end devices, the gateways to which they are wirelessly connected, a network server and an application server.
Sigfox is a wireless network for IoT applications developed by the French telecommunications company of the same name. The infrastructure used is independent of existing networks such as mobile communications.
NB-IoT (NarrowBand IoT) is an industry standard that is now available globally and was developed by the industry specifically for IoT applications. It uses the radio spectrum licensed by the 3GPP standardisation committee - and the infrastructure - of the mobile network operators and is therefore subject to the usual standards for mobile communications in terms of reliability and availability as well as transmission security and quality
Like NB-IoT, LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for Machines) is a further development of the 4G mobile communications standard specifically for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. LTE-M offers a higher bandwidth and lower latency compared to NarrowBand IoT. This technology therefore covers IoT applications whose requirements lie between LTE and NB-IoT (see graphic).
The four technologies fulfil partly similar and partly different requirements for IoT projects. Our fact check "NB-IoT, Sigfox, LoRaWAN". A current comparison" provides further information on transmission quality, coverage, energy efficiency, security, costs and future viability. Our white paper "Comparison and analysis of the security aspects of LoRaWAN and NB-IoT" is dedicated specifically to the topic of security.
The two frequency ranges differ primarily in terms of authorisation, costs and reliability:
The licensed radio spectrum is reserved for use by companies or organisations that have received a licence from the responsible regulatory authority - in Germany, this is the Federal Network Agency. The exclusive, usually fee-based use is subject to strict rules and regulations in order to prevent interference. Licensed frequency bands are primarily used for mobile and broadcasting as well as other services that require a high level of reliability and quality of service.
The unlicensed radio spectrum is generally open for general use and does not require special licensing. Anyone can use devices operating on unlicensed frequency bands as long as they comply with the applicable technical standards and regulations. Unlicensed frequency bands are often used for wireless communication technologies such as WLAN, Bluetooth or LoRaWAN, where lower transmission quality is acceptable or where flexible use is more important than guaranteed quality of service. As the spectrum can be used by anyone, there is a higher risk of interference between devices, which can affect performance.
As the name suggests, the low-energy long-distance networks are characterised by two main features:
Low energy consumption: Since IoT devices are often placed in hard-to-reach areas and operated autonomously for years, the energy efficiency of LPWAN is crucial for minimising maintenance and operating costs. LPWA network technology specialises in the occasional transmission and reception of small amounts of data. The corresponding radio modules therefore consume extremely little power. This has several advantages:
Long range: LPWAN technologies can cover a large area despite their low power consumption. The long range enables comprehensive network coverage with less infrastructure. In contrast to conventional wireless networks such as WLAN or Bluetooth, which are designed for short distances, LPWAN enables communication over kilometres. This is achieved by using low data rates, simple network architectures and efficient modulation methods.
One particular advantage over other technologies such as Wi-Fi or LTE is the strong building penetration. NarrowBand IoT stands out here in particular: an NB-IoT radio module transmits reliably even through thick basement walls or out of sewer pipes.
They hang in schools and hospitals, in supermarkets and warehouses or in factories and company buildings: white and green illuminated signs pointing the way to the nearest emergency exit. They are rarely used, but when an emergency occurs, they must function reliably. Centralised monitoring is therefore mandatory to ensure that the emergency lights do not fail unnoticed.
Since 2018, this regulation has also applied to luminaires powered by a single battery - which poses a challenge for building managers. Laying cables to network all the signs is complex and expensive; wireless solutions often have reception problems. The Fischer Akkumulatorentechnik GmbH from Neuss therefore opted for LPWAN technology NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT), a mobile communications standard that was developed specifically for the Internet of Things.
Fischer equipped its signs with an NB-IoT radio module that transmits the status of the emergency lighting and the integrated battery to the cloud via Telekom's mobile network. Building operators can thus see all the emergency lights installed in their properties at a glance. Faults are reported in real time and can be rectified immediately. The high building penetration of NB-IoT even allows it to be used in basements.
LPWAN has found a wide range of applications in the IoT sector:
LPWAN has established itself as a key technology for the Internet of Things by enabling efficient, cost-effective and far-reaching communication. The future of LPWAN for IoT networks looks promising, with trends pointing towards increased capacity, improved security features and the integration of AI for smarter network management solutions. The ongoing miniaturisation of IoT devices and the development of new LPWAN standards promise to expand the possibilities for IoT applications and solve complex problems in areas such as environmental monitoring and public safety. And mobile operators are fuelling development with increasingly flexible IoT tariffs, technical innovations such as SIM cards and new options such as the combination of mobile and satellite radio to ensure global IoT coverage.
*List of abbreviations
Important abbreviations in the article
3GPP = 3rd Generation Partnership Project
4G/5G = 4th/5th generation mobile communications standards
IoT = Internet of Things. Generation
IoT = Internet of Things
LoRaWAN = Long Range Wide Area Network (short: LoRa)
LPWAN = Low Power Wide Area Network
LTE = Long Term Evolution
LTE-M = Long Term Evolution for Machines
M2M = Machine-to-Machine communication
NB-IoT = NarrowBand IoT
WLAN = Wireless Local Area Network
When energy consumption, building penetration, battery life and, most importantly, cost are key considerations in IoT projects, NB-IoT and LTE-M are the right cellular standards for wireless networking. Learn more about these breakthrough technologies.
Back in 2016, Anna worked on IoT topics at Deutsche Telekom for the first time. Since then, she has been supporting customer best practices in a wide range of industries – always focusing on the benefits that the Internet of Things can provide. Her IoT blogposts describe real use cases and the value these innovations add to market players, their business models, and even entire industries.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing how companies collect data, control processes and develop new services. IoT Governance is intended to form the strategic foundation for transparency, control and trust in an increasingly digital infrastructure. How this works, you will find out here.
Read article
In the Internet of Things (IoT), the MQTT protocol is a lightweight publish-subscribe protocol, ideal for reliable data exchange between resource-constrained devices. Learn more about its functionality, applications, and benefits in the article.
Read article
The retail sector is facing a digital transformation.Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are transforming traditional shops into smart, connected spaces, opening up new possibilities and opportunities for both retailers and customers. Find out more in this article!
Read article