Every IoT device has its own wireless network

The wireless connectivity world of the Internet of Things is evolving, and if in the United States it is an almost established reality, in Italy it is beginning to be known and appreciated only in recent years.

The Internet of Things or IoT is at the service of different market sectors, from the purely industrial ones such as energy and manufacturing, to automotive, healthcare, wellness and home automation. While for common devices such as PCs, smartphones and tablets, the wireless network consists of several technologies, such as wifi, bluetooth, LTE and in the near future 5g, today there is not yet a single wireless technology applicable to all IoT objects. The smart devices of the Internet of Things are, in fact, linked to engineering solutions created ad hoc, different from each other and addressed by the application context.

A unique and functional wireless network for IoT objects

Given the expansion of IoT objects, it is essential to apply a single, functional solution that can represent the wireless network of reference for products belonging to the Internet of Things in a particular context. The 5g will be the technology provided to users mainly by all telephone operators. While covering a large number of applications, it may not be the only choice for all those IoT applications operating in large geographical areas, especially remote ones. The reasons for this are different and the costs certainly slow down the spread. Pending a better penetration of 5G, different wireless technologies have been developed for the connectivity of IoT objects of one or more niches: LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE.

Technologies suitable for IoT objects

A wireless network for IoT objects must have some basic requirements: simple installation, low cost, low maintenance. These three aspects translate into broad coverage, simple configuration and hardware, massive production and long battery life. LoRaWAN is a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology, suitable for different types of IoT applications. It guarantees a coverage from 2 to 10 km, bidirectional and reachable even indoors; the battery life is considerable, over 10 years, and allows the data traffic of different profiles, both public and private. LoRaWAN also enjoys free licences and common standards. Most IoT objects require low costs, low power and small data volumes, which is why LoRaWAN is the best choice for these devices. In general, these are intelligent devices used in home automation, logistics and transport service management, measurement and agriculture.

On the contrary, LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology related to 4G and the different Cat (categories) associated with it and referred to high download speed, upload speed, low latency and the ability to connect more objects on the network. Applications for health control, automotive safety, industrial control and smart automation are good examples of areas where LTE connectivity is the most suitable. It is the technical characteristics of intelligent devices that determine the choice of wireless network for IoT objects. Reliability, low latency and wide availability are the main aspects that require a Cat 1 / Cat M1 LTE connection.

Which wireless network technology to choose depending on the nature of the IoT objects

In-depth knowledge of wireless technologies for the IoT leads to a preference for one wireless network technology rather than another depending on the application and context. In general, for most IoT objects that require low cost, low energy and lower data volumes, you can rely on LoRaWAN. For "critical" IoT objects, mostly related to the industrial and automotive sector, LTE Cat1 / Cat M1 or NB-IoT networks should be preferred. The aspects to be assessed between the different options are the nature of the data, battery life, price and daily data traffic volume.

Depending on the wireless connection length and the relationship between power consumption and data usage, you can then choose the best technology for the smart object. For devices that require a long range, i.e. a longer connection length, the choices are LPWA technologies, such as LoRaWAN, and LTE; on the contrary, a reduced range is well suited for WiFi, BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave and the like. With the same range, if the volume of data to be transferred is low you can opt for LPWA (high range) or BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave (low range); on the contrary, for the transmission of more data, the best choice, if the range is high, is definitely the cellular technology (LTE); WiFi if the range is low. Taking battery consumption into account, it can be said that an LPWA connection is cheaper than a cellular connection. These listed are the main factors that drive the choice of wireless network for IoT objects, but there are many others, even more technical and aimed at specialized figures.

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