link labs lpwa webinar

LPWA in an LTE-M andNB-IOT World

11/9/16

Agenda

• What is LPWA?

• History of LPWANs

• Technology Snapshots

• How to pick

• Use Case Examples

• Questions

How to ask a question• Visit http://forum.link-labs.com/ to submit your

question

http://forum.link-labs.com/

http://forum.link-labs.com/

What is LPWA?

• Low Power, Wide Area Networks

• Low data rate = High sensitivity = Long Range

• Multiple Access = One-to-Many Architecture

• Mostly Unlicensed Spectrum = duty cycle limits (ETSI) or time-on-air limits (FCC)

• Carrier Deployed vs. Customer Deployed

History of LPWA

1990-2000s

2G/3G

2000s

ARDIS Network

2010s 2014-2016

Licensed vs. Unlicensed Spectrum• 902-928 MHz

• 868 MHz (EU)

• Can’t count on band quality

• Licensed use in band

Technology SnapshotLTE Cat-M1• What is this?• 1.4 MHz Frontend (vs. 20 MHz) + 1 Antenna• 1 Mbps Half-Duplex

Less Expensive

Chipset

Power Saving Mode (PSM)

Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRx)

LTE Cat-M1

• Very good US Coverage*

• TCP/IP Network – Connect to any server

• Fast data rates• Can be very power

efficient• Better UL power

utilization than NB-IOT

• Power budget • Carrier Firmware

Upgrades use power• Areas with limited

coverage• System costs higher

than some LPWA• Must implement IPSec• IPR Risk• Certification

Advantages Considerations

* In 2017, Verizon and ATT

LTE Cat-M1 Key Takeaways• It will be available by mid 2017 nationwide in US.

• Provides power efficient data transport, with (relatively) high speeds.

• Modules costs ~$15, data $1 - 3/mo

• Look for LTE CAT-M “only” modules that do not require Linux and long boot times out of PSM.

LTE-M Sensor Suite

• PTCRB and VZN Certified communication board

• Open source power/sensor board

• Open Source Atmel L21 project for user application

Technology SnapshotNB-IOT• How is this different?• Cat- NB1• 200 kHz• Max 144 kbps uplink• Half Duplex

• Chipsets could be slightly less than LTE-M1

NB-IOT

• Good hardware prices• Link Margins are Good• Data Rates Support

FOTA and advanced Use Cases

• Less IPR Risk• Much better bi-

directional data than most unlicensed LPWA

• No US Announcements• Monthly Subscription• Not TCP/IP Direct• May be limited to

Europe/Asia initially• No mobility, only idle-

rejoin


NB-IOTKey Takeaways• If LTE-M is “LTE-Light,” then NB-IOT is LPWA on steroids.

• Appropriate for sending “sensor messages” but not data streams.

• Deployments in 2018. US may lag significantly.

• Modules <$15?, Service costs?

• Market perception about advantages over LTE Cat-M1 (Power, cost, coverage) do not hold.

Technology SnapshotSIGFOX• Narrowband psuedo-DBPSK (MSK)• Hundreds of Uplink Channels• Completely Asynchronous• Transmit 3 times and hope• Limited Downlink• Uses “Stock” UHF RF Chips

SIGFOX

• Good hardware prices• Hard to Jam• Simple to implement

• Very small payloads: 12 bytes

• Americas/US Coverage Lacking

• Vendor Risk


SIGFOXKey Takeaways• For simple, infrequent sensors, a good choice, if there is

network coverage.

• Modules <$10, Data costs <$1/mo

Technology SnapshotLoRaWANTM• Based on LoRa PHY Technology• Asynchronous Uplink• “Dumb” Gateway, “Smart” Cloud• Hybrid Business Model – Carrier + DIY

The LoRa® name, LoRa® logo and LoRaWAN™ are trademarks of Semtech Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.

LoRaWAN Collisions

Source: https://sites.google.com/a/wesdec.be/mweyn/lpwan Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307965130_A_Study_of_LoRa_Long_Range_Low_Power_Networks_for_the_Internet_of_Things

LoRaWAN

• Good hardware prices• Simple to implement• Do-it-yourself option• Good ecosystem of

vendors

• Needs Cloud Server for MAC• Messages lost at >15%

capacity or with ACKs• Dynamic Range Losses• Complicated Key Management • 1% Duty Cycle Limit (EU)• Shared Channel Interference• Additional Application

Requirements


LoRaWANKey Takeaways• Good do-it-yourself option for simple applications.

• Identity and provisioning management is complex.

• Message delivery not guaranteed.

• Multiple gateways may be needed.

• Firmware upgrades not really possible.

LoRa is an RF Technology.Symphony Link is an Industrial IOT System.

LoRa

LinkLabs

Technology SnapshotSymphony Link• Uses LoRa Hardware• Different Protocol Stack• Synchronous / Slotted• Quality of Service• 100% Acknowledgements• Repeaters• Firmware-over-the-air• Multicast/Control• Auto-provisioning• No cloud needed

Symphony Link

• Flexible Architecture• Firmware-over-the-air• Repeaters• 100%

Acknowledgements• Quality of Service• 256 byte MTU• Licensed Spectrum

Partners

• Limited Vendor Selection

• Limited data rate (1 kbps)

• European variant still in beta release


Other Technologies

• Ingenu

• 802.11ah

• Waviot

• Weightless-N, P

A Word on Standards• Standardization ensure interoperability

• Innovation is slowed by standardization

• IP Protection allows private R&D investment and innovation

How to Pick?

Do you need connectivity:

• Only where you deploy it?

• Only in some cities?

• Indoors too?

LoRaWAN, Symphony LinkLoRaWAN, Sigfox, IngenuDIY or 3GPP

How to Pick?

Do you need bi-directional data:

• Message Acknowledgements

• Firmware Updates

• Control Signals

• Multicast

Symphony Link, Ingenu, 3GPPSymphony Link, Ingenu, 3GPPSymphony Link, Ingenu, 3GPPSymphony Link, Ingenu, 3GPP

Only DIY option here

How to Pick?

How many end nodes per area:

• Sparse

• Dense

• Mobile

• Unknown

Any Operator Network

DIY OptionsMost Operator Networks (some have no handover)3GPP

How to Pick?

What is your timeline to deploy your product?

• Now?

• 6 Months?

• 1-2 Years out?

• >2 Years out?

DIY- Symphony Link, LoRaWAN+ LTE Cat-M1

+ NB-IOT

+ 5G? NewTech?

How to Pick?

Where do you need connectivity?

• Americas / Australia

• Europe / Africa / Middle East*

• China

• Japan, South Korea

• Some countries have no ISM band

Defined area asset trackingand managementBusiness need: Make informed decisions about efficiency, maintenance, and safety by knowing asset location and status

AirFinder

• Lowest Cost RTLS

• Sold as API Data or full application

• www.AirFinder.com

Industrial equipmentmonitoring & controlBusiness need: Preventative maintenance, fault detection increase labor efficiency, reduce installation costs, increase safety, and reduce maintenance costs by knowing equipment status

Commercial consumables

Business need: Improve customer service, increase predictability of revenue, reduce maintenance costs, increase inventory efficiency

Final Thoughts

Connectivity is just a piece of the solution.

BACKUP SLIDES

What makes upSymphony Link?

Signal fromSymphony LinkRadio Module

Cloud-baseddata analytics

What makes upSymphony Link?

Symphony Link IoT Gateway• Long Range• Interference avoidance• Indoor/Outdoor• Expandable with

repeaters

Embedded Radio Modules• Low power use - Adaptive

broadcast power and data rate

• Scalability – Allows thousands

of end points• Message acknowledgment –

bi-directional acknowledgement guarantees receipt

Cloud-based Management • White label branding• Connects to 3rd party data

Fixed Frame Size / Dynamic Scheduling

Centrally Managed Time Division Duplex

- TDMA- FDMA- CSMA (LBT)- “SF” MA

- ACK- Slotting- Hopping

Key Advantage #1Repeaters• Low Cost

• Same Range as Gateway

• Can be solar or battery powered

• Business Benefit: 10x Less Cost

• Use Cases: Demand Response, Large Campuses, City Deployments

Key Advantage #2100% Acknowledgments• All uplink and downlink messages

are acknowledged

• Quality of Service keeps network from being overloaded

• Business Benefit: Access Critical Use Cases

• See: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016122847A1

Key Advantage #3256 Byte MTU• Payload sizes up to 256 bytes

fixed

• All subpacketization and retries handled

• Ipv6 Gateway Route Handler (under development)

• Business Benefit: Easier development, direct to IP routing

Key Advantage #3Real Time ADR• Nodes decide with SF and Tx

Power to use on each packet

• Maximizes Network Throughput

• Gets around 20dB Dynamic Range issue of LoRa

• Business Benefit: Automatic scaling, fewer lost messages

Key Advantage #4Firmware Multicast• #1 Industrial Customer

Requirement

• Patch Security Issues or manage new features or bug fixes

• Business Benefit: Don’t “Touch” hardware to upgrade

Key Advantage #5Interference Handling• Allows 96 networks to co-locate with

no cross talk

• LoRaWAN: All Networks cross talk by design

• Business Benefit: 30x+ more on-air capacity in ISM Band

Symphony Link LoRaWAN SIGFOX LTE-M NB-IoT

Operating Frequency Most sub-GHz433, 470-510, 868, 915

MHz 868 MHz 700-900 MHz, 1.4 GHz 700-900 MHz

Max outdoor range>10 km - See Link

budget>10 km - See Link




budget

Link Budget / Minimum Coupling Loss159 dB (US) / 151 dB

(EU)152 dB (US) / 151 dB

(EU)156 dB (UL)142 dB (DL) 156 dB 165 dB

Spectrum BW 125 kHz 125 kHz 100 Hz 1.4 MHz 200 kHzMax Data Rate 5000 bps 5000 bps 100 bps <1 Mbps <150 kbpsBattery Life (based on 2000 mA*hr battery, 1 Tx/hr) >10 yrs >10 yrs >10 yrs >10 yrs >10 yrsTopology Star Star Star Star StarAvailability Available Now Available Now EU Only 2017-18 2017-18Compatible with Semtech LoRa Technology X X Inexpensive Repeaters fill in coverage X Adaptive Data Rate X X X XReal Time Adaptive Data Rate X X XOpen Standard third-party licensing X 3GPP 3GPPRoaming Support X On roadmap X X PossibleInternational Roaming Support (Multi-Band) X X PossibleNative Key/SIM management X X Message Acknowledgements X X N/A N/A100% Acknowledged Messages X X XUsable in Licensed Spectrum as-is X X X XOver-the-air Firmware Upgrades X X XMulticast Message Groups X N/A N/ADownlink Capability X Currently Limited Limited X XNetwork Architecture Synchronous Asynchronous Asynchronous Synchronous SynchronousAES, RSA, EEC Security X X X XUplink Power Control X X XReal Time Quality of Service X X XHandover X N/A X XInterference Avoidance X MAC controller Gateway Server Gateway Network NetworkSupports Disconnected Operations X Supports high jitter (SATCOM) connections X N/A N/ASupports 1W Uplink Transmissions under FCC X X N/A N/AUplink-Downlink Collisions Possible X X Carrier Sense Multiple Access X X XSupports multiple gateway architectures X N/A N/AMAC Layer Packetization and Retry X X XFixed MTU Size X X XSupports IPv6 and TCP based addressing to endpoint X X X

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]?subject=