Monitoring infrastructure objects with LoRa WAN ® network
Why LoRa WAN?
Before we describe how our products and services can help you effectively monitor technical infrastructure objects, we would like to briefly present the advantages of the radio technology used in our products, as it is a key factor that distinguishes our offer. LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a modern wireless network technology that offers many advantages compared to traditional communication networks. One of the key features of LoRa WAN is the use of spread-spectrum technology, which allows for achieving a long transmission range (of several to several tens of kilometers), high receiver sensitivity, and high resistance to interference. Spread-spectrum technology involves spreading the transmission signal over multiple frequencies. This makes the signal less susceptible to interference and allows for higher quality data transmission. In addition, because the signal is spread over multiple frequencies, LoRa WAN can achieve a very long range, even up to several tens of kilometers if dedicated LoRa WAN gateways are used. LoRa WAN receivers are also very sensitive, allowing for the reception of signals even with very low power levels. This makes devices operating in the LoRa WAN network very energy-efficient, which is crucial for battery-powered devices such as environmental sensors or industrial devices. All of these features make LoRa WAN an ideal technology for IoT and other solutions that require long-range transmission, high resistance to interference, and low energy consumption. Thanks to the high quality and reliability of this technology, as well as its ease of use, LoRa WAN has become one of the most popular wireless communication solutions.
Collecting and Processing Sensor Data
IoT devices that use LoRaWAN technology connect to the internet through special devices called LoRaWAN gateways. These are responsible for receiving radio signals from IoT devices and forwarding them to the cloud, where the data is processed and stored. In this way, the gateway acts as an intermediary between IoT devices and the internet. One LoRaWAN gateway can support multiple IoT devices, making the technology very scalable and flexible. One important feature of this solution is that, unlike solutions where each sensor operates on a cellular network, in this solution, only one subscription in the cellular network is required - for the gateway. Therefore, regardless of the number of sensors in a given area, the user of such a system manages and pays for only one telecommunications subscription (SIM card), providing the monitoring system with complete communication autonomy independent of the infrastructure of the monitored objects. Finally, sensor data is transmitted over the internet to a central application that allows for processing and analysis of the gathered information. This enables users to easily monitor the status of their devices, detect problems, and respond to them proactively. Standard functionalities available in such applications include visualization and analysis of trends, signaling of alarm and emergency states, and monitoring the correct operation of sensors, including the state of the objects being monitored. Such application can operate in the cloud, providing easy access from anywhere in the world, or it can run on the client's servers within their internal network, ensuring complete control over the data.
Practical examples
Trineo Systems manufactures two standard types of LoRa WAN devices: the Autonomous Smoke Detector (ACD) and the Universal Input Module (USE), which allows connection of various sensors (pressure, temperature, flooding, door opening, etc.) to the network. Both devices can operate more than 2 years on a single set of batteries. Our collaboration with one of the largest industrial insurance companies in Poland brings benefits to many industrial plants throughout the country. Our LoRa WAN sensors are an important part of the infrastructure monitoring system and fire safety compliance in production facilities, which translates into lower insurance premiums and increased business efficiency. Our sensors will also help monitor dispersed objects that are part of an extensive technical infrastructure in one of the European countries, where LoRa WAN coverage extends across the entire territory and is provided by one of the local mobile operators. As experts in this field, we offer not only ready-made products but also can create custom LoRa WAN sensors specifically tailored to the needs of our clients. Our design team has extensive experience in designing devices that work in the LoRa WAN standard. This enables us to modify our standard products to fit the customer's needs and create completely new devices for orders of several hundred units. In addition to LoRa WAN sensors and end devices, we can also provide the appropriate gateways for this network and build a dedicated server solution for a specific system according to the customer's needs. Our LoRa WAN solutions are available to various industries and sectors of the economy, and our collaboration with the insurance industry is just one example of the applications of our solutions. If you need a comprehensive monitoring system for your facility, please contact us, and our experts will help you choose the best solution for your business.