Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) is a new development hotspot in the field of Internet of Things. Due to its low power consumption and wide area characteristics, it is very suitable for large-scale deployment of Internet of Things. LoRa is a wireless communication technology dedicated to long-distance and low-power consumption. As a popular player in low-power wide area network (LPWAN), its modulation method greatly increases the communication distance compared to other communication methods, and can be widely used in various occasions. The field of long-distance low-rate IoT wireless communication. For example, automatic meter reading, building automation equipment, wireless security systems, industrial monitoring and control, etc.
What is a LoRa concentrator?
In the LoRa system, the gateway is the concentrator. The LoRa gateway is located at the core of the LoRa star network. It is an information bridge between the terminal and the server (Server) and a multi-channel transceiver. Шлюз LoRa is sometimes called LoRa base station or LoRa concentrator . Although the definitions are different, they actually have the same meaning.
What is the use of LoRa concentrator?
LoRa concentrators are designed for long-distance star architecture and are used in LoRa systems. The LoRa concentrator uses RF devices different from the terminal nodes, has higher capacity, and acts as a transparent bridge to relay messages between the terminal device and the central network server. The LoRa gateway uses different spreading factors. Different spreading factors are orthogonal in pairs. Therefore, in theory, multiple signals with different spreading factors can be demodulated in the same channel. Therefore, the LoRa concentrator is a multi-channel, multi-modulation transceiver. , can demodulate multiple channels simultaneously.
LoRa concentrators connect to the network server through a standard IP connection, and end devices use single-hop wireless communication to one or more LoRa concentrators. Communication between all terminal nodes is generally bidirectional, but also supports operations such as multicast functions, software upgrades, wireless transmission or other bulk publishing of messages, thus reducing wireless communication time.
Access Point Determinants for LoRa Concentrators
The number of nodes connected to the LoRa concentrator depends on the channel resources it can provide and the channel resources occupied by a single LoRa terminal. Once the number of physical channels is determined, the channel resources that the LoRa concentrator can provide are also determined.
LoRa concentrator designs are different and the number of channels is different. The channel resources occupied by a single LoRa terminal are consistent with the time the terminal occupies the channel, which is closely related to the terminal’s packet sending frequency, the number of packets sent bytes, and the spreading factor of the LoRa terminal.
When the packet sending frequency and number of packet bytes of a LoRa terminal increase, the time the terminal spends transmitting and receiving on the channel will increase, occupying more channel resources. When the LoRa terminal uses a larger spreading factor, the signal can be transmitted farther, but the cost is that it takes more time to transmit unit byte information.
In addition to gateways, we also need to pay attention to LoRa terminals: LoRa terminals are an integral part of the LoRa network and generally consist of LoRa modules, sensors and other devices. LoRa terminals can be powered by batteries and can be positioned remotely.
With the active promotion of operators and the technical support of IoT equipment manufacturers, NB-IoT and LoRa have become the new favorites of the current wireless market. It is believed that in the near future, the Internet of Things will also become an important part of work or life like wireless Wi-Fi networks. an important part of.