LoRaWAN®: Long Battery Life
Why LoRaWAN Is The Industrial I-IoT Enabler You Can’t Ignore (2/5)
Learn in our second article of this series how to leverage the low-power capabilities of LoRaWAN devices to your advantage.
Key Takeaways
1. LoRaWAN devices can operate on a single battery charge for years, making them ideal for use in remote or hard-to-reach locations.
2. Star topology allows devices to use less battery power than mesh topology, often used by other technologies like WirelessHART.
3. LoRaWAN devices require minimal maintenance, reducing the total cost of ownership.
4. LoRaWAN’s typical unidirectional communication results in longer battery life for devices.
5. LoRaWAN’s low power capabilities remove the need for any cabling making installation quick and straightforward.
LoRaWAN Technology Has Extremely Long Battery Life
The ultra-low-power design of LoRaWAN devices allows them to operate for extended periods without any need for battery replacements. This reduces the total cost of ownership and makes it easier to deploy devices in areas that are difficult to access. This technology utilises smart ways of broadcasting, bridging long distances without losing data to radio noise, and adjusting power usage when closer to a gateway so as not to waste energy.
So, with LoRaWAN technology, oil and gas refineries can monitor and manage assets without worrying about frequent maintenance or battery replacements, saving time and money throughout the device’s lifespan.
Star Topology Uses Far Less Battery Power
In a mesh network, each device is responsible for relaying messages from other devices. This results in increased battery usage due to the need for constant communication. Conversely, in a star topology like LoRaWAN, each device communicates
We always advise customers to consider the following aspects: vendor lock-in, battery life, security, range, and competing and complementary technologies.
directly with a gateway, reducing any need for multiple hops and enabling the device to use far less battery power.
This design choice of LoRaWAN makes it a more efficient and cost-effective solution for industrial IoT applications, particularly where devices may be located in hard-to-reach areas and battery replacement or maintenance can be a challenge.
LoRaWAN Devices Require Minimal Maintenance
Due to their low-power nature, LoRaWAN devices have greatly extended battery life, reducing the frequency of battery replacement or device maintenance. This translates to reduced maintenance costs and the need for fewer site visits, saving both time and money.
Additionally, the ease of deployment and scalability of LoRaWAN networks means that devices can be quickly and easily installed, further minimising the need for ongoing maintenance. Overall, LoRaWAN’s low-maintenance requirements make it an attractive option for industrial and IoT applications.
Unidirectional Communication Results In Longer Battery Life
LoRaWAN’s unidirectional communication means that devices are designed to predominantly only transmit data – Not constantly listening for commands and acknowledgements keeps battery use to a minimum. They do, however, listen for any messages for a short period only after sending a data package.
This means that LoRaWAN is not fully bidirectional, and communication is more device-initiated rather than a continuous two-way exchange. Overall, LoRaWAN’s unidirectional communication is an essential feature that enables its long-range capabilities and low-power consumption for industrial devices.
LoRaWAN’s Devices Need No Wiring or Cables
Because LoRaWAN’s devices benefit from greatly extended battery life, devices are installed without any network or power cables. This makes devices ideal for retrofitting to existing equipment – free from any complex installation.
Additionally, this agility gives engineers the freedom to quickly relocate devices after initial installation should they look to fine-tune the location or re-assign the device to another asset.
The lack of power or network cables also means that LoRaWAN devices can easily be fitted to devices in hard-to-reach places or even be installed up to a couple of kilometres from the nearest LoRaWAN gateway.
However, we understand that these built-in low-power features in LoRaWAN have some downsides for certain use cases, such as the limitation of a full bi-directional communication and the need for a star topology to operate efficiently. These use cases may be better suited to other protocols where battery life is less critical.
If you have super-critical equipment that requires a mains-fed 24/7 constant monitoring solution, then some fantastic products are available. The downside is that these types of solutions are very expensive and, as such, not financially viable as a wider solution to digitise the less-critical assets at a modern facility. In this scenario, we recommend considering incorporating more than one protocol into your overall solution. Adding a LoRaWAN solution will fill in the missing data from the remaining, potentially digitising thousands of previously unconnected assets, combine this data with the initial protocol, and complete your digital twin.
Our advice is to carefully consider your requirements when choosing the appropriate protocol for a particular use case. LoRaWAN’s advantages can be fully leveraged by selecting use cases that match the protocol’s strengths, such as remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and asset tracking. Ultimately, the key is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of LoRaWAN and match them to the specific needs of the application at hand.