Developers are the most important part of any modern technology platform. From large enterprises to individual developers, providing the correct tools and architecture can be the key to success when developing platforms for the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.

LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) is a leading technology and recognized as the de facto platform for developing IoT applications. With access to the LoRaWAN®-based ecosystem, developers can access tools that will provide building blocks to assist in quickly realizing the return on investment that their customers not only want, but have come to expect. Semtech is working to provide developers with the tools to get their LoRa-based solutions to market faster, as well as simplifying the development process. Providing completely free modules focused on building LoRa-based applications gives students, engineers, developers, and enterprises the jump-start they need to build robust and innovative IoT applications.

With help from Semtech, developers can access the following training materials and tools, free of charge, to develop a LoRa-based solution without being a university student.

LoRaWAN Academy™

After launching 2017 to universities around the world, the LoRaWAN Academy curriculum has prepared students for the IoT job market by training their students on developing LoRa-based solutions and the open LoRaWAN protocol. The program will now be available to anyone who is interested in building LoRa-based applications. The LoRaWAN Academy includes 10 modules of self-paced online classes that includes video lectures, supplemental reading materials and hands-on assignments.

The LoRaWAN Academy provides comprehensive, free educational modules for students, engineers, developers, and enterprises to develop IoT applications using LoRa®-based technologies. This all-encompassing, hands-on curriculum for students or professionals to learn about the LoRaWAN open specification from the creators of LoRa and the ecosystem that scaled its international adoption.

LoRa Basics™

To get LoRa-based solutions to market faster, developers can leverage Semtech’s free, supported and easy-to-use set of LoRa Basics. LoRa Basics is fully compliant with LoRa Alliance™ and allows developers, as well as enterprises to rapidly develop their applications.

The motivation behind LoRa Basics is to take the common LoRaWAN functions that all developers of end devices, gateways or LoRaWAN-based solutions must implement and provide a free, supported set of open source software that is specification compliant. The building blocks represent best practices for the implementation of LoRaWAN-based technologies. Developers can then focus on developing their solutions, while getting their applications to market faster with less cost.

Developers using LoRa Basics will find two software building blocks that they can use to build their solutions.

Basics Station is a new LoRaWAN-based gateway packet forwarder with secure and robust data communication and remote gateway management protocols, which are equally suitable to Linux®-based gateways, as well as resource-constrained embedded gateways.

LoRa Basics MAC is a portable implementation of the LoRa Alliance LoRaWAN specification in the C programming language. Basic MAC provides the firmware an end-device developer needs to get LoRaWAN-based radios up and running. Next to a fully LoRaWAN-compliant protocol stack, it provides an event-driven run time with power management, timer handling and a flexible simulation environment with logical time to facilitate debugging and regression testing.

To learn more about the LoRaWAN Academy and to access the LoRa Basics elements and tools, visit the Semtech’s LoRa Developer Portal, which will also provide access to a comprehensive suite of developer training, documentation, technical resources, and community tools.

According to the Center for Hearing and Communication, more than 48 million people in the United States [Source] are affected by hearing loss. Hearing aids amplify sounds for these individuals allowing them to better listen, communicate and participate in daily activities. Semtech has partnered with one of the world’s leader in innovative hearing care solutions, Sonova, to develop an advanced radio system for which these devices can operate. This partnership has brought together years of knowledge and expertise around the wireless Internet of Things (IoT) and hearing solutions, resulting in an impressively complex communication chip with the potential to usher in a new level of convenience and sound for its users.

In today’s world with smartphones and voice-enabled IoT applications, the need for a smarter, connected hearing solution has been a long time coming. Focusing on a low power digital design, both teams worked to develop this highly advanced chip solution. The ultra-small, low power wireless radio frequency integrated circuit (IC) leveraging LoRa® modulation, enables support for multiple radio protocols in the 2.4GHz band. This paves the way for the next generation of audio devices with the ability to support applications that previously were not possible. One significant application is the potential to connect users to any BluetoothⓇ- enabled device including smartphones, televisions, even smart home devices such as doorbells and digital assistants. Additionally, these devices also have audio streaming abilities between hearing aids and connectivity to wireless microphones.

A few key features with these new hearing devices include:

• Low Power Wireless Radio: The low power wireless radio will ultimately increase the end products lifespan, but also the amount of time a user can wear the device before it will need to be charged.
• Bluetooth Connectivity: The capability to connect via Bluetooth opens up the possibility to use these hearing solutions directly with a smartphone and other ear-to-ear communications.

Semtech strives to benefit the engineering and global community cultivating creativity through collaboration and innovation. The company’s mission is to continue the production of life-changing technologies as its works with Sonova — ultimately helping to create a more connected world.

Mobile World Congress (MWC) is always the most anticipated mobile industry event of the year, attracting nearly 110,000 visitors from 198 countries. Each year I leave the show, I’m in awe at the pace of innovation in the Internet of Things (IoT) market and the speed at which technologies are rapidly evolving to market ready-solutions.

This year, MWC hosted the 10th IOT/WT Innovation World Cup®. From new ways to track food quality, to innovative means to make industries and cities smarter, there were over 500 ground-breaking submissions from all over the world. Out of the 20 highly innovative finalists honored at MWC, three built their solution based on Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology), which showcases the platform’s proven, easy to implement capabilities.

LoRa-based Innovation World Cup semifinalists:

KotahiNet, a leading creator of IoT applications from New Zealand, developed a system of LoRa-based sensors to screen rivers for pollution. The data collected on pollution levels is reported to communities for evaluation and notification if areas are unsafe to swim in or drink. The sensors also monitor water levels for pollution indicators to predict if a certain river or area may become polluted in the future.

Vinduino, a smart agriculture technology company, is using LoRa-based valve controllers to help growers meet their needs. By offering technology services, including an online platform for optimized irrigation based on local weather data and soil moisture, growers are able to replace manual operations and increase irrigation accuracy by remotely measure the amount of water applied to the crops.

LoRa-based Innovation World Cup winners:

Axino Solutions, a leading supplier of smart refrigeration, used LoRa-based solutions to combine sensor technology with AI algorithms to predict the core temperature of different refrigerated food items in retail stores in order to comply with food safety regulations. This retrofit solution is designed to help food retailers digitalize their quality management process, hence reducing food waste and lost revenues.

Additional companies who developed LoRa-based solutions include: Aonchip, Breeze Technologies, CleverFarm, IOTEROP, IoTize, NOWI, and Tarilian Laser Technologies.

LoRa Technology has benefited from mass adoption in a variety of IoT solutions that solve complex issues and continues to create unique and highly innovative applications. The success and growth of LoRa Technology globally is a result of companies implementing and benefitting from LoRa-based devices and networks today.

If you were to develop a LoRa-based solution, what would you create?

Whether you are familiar with the term Internet of Things (IoT) or not, it’s highly unlikely to go a day without being impacted by this technology. However, even though the IoT market is predicted to grow close to $520B by 2021, IT integration continues to be one of the major barriers to its adoption today. The process of connecting both legacy and new devices to ingest large amounts of data securely remains challenging.

In response to this, we have created a new Cloud-based service that includes access to geolocation through a low power, long range and flexible deployment compatible with almost any network server. Semtech announced the addition of LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation to its platform of LoRa solutions last week.

Available on a free trial basis, LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation acts as a secure Cloud service to deliver value more rapidly with less development overhead. Leveraging multi-modal location capabilities (such as Wi-Fi, GNSS and LoRaWAN-based geolocation), the LoRa Cloud Geolocation service builds IoT solutions without taking on the complexity/repetition involved in building a solution from scratch. What’s more, it aligns with the security and privacy requirements of customers based in different regions.

The LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation is the first of a variety of Cloud services that we will offer in 2019 to support IoT application development. This performance optimization solution will simplify access to geolocation for all LoRaWAN-based devices with the aim of uncomplicating the development of IoT solutions and supporting flexibility in deployment options.

Key features of LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation can be classified in the following segments:

INTEGRATION: The new Cloud-based geolocation service is easily integrated into existing software implemented at enterprises, with some trial customers witnessing migration to the new service in less than a day. Additionally, LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation is compatible with almost any network server, enabling flexibility in deployment options.

USAGE: This API-accepting service utilizes adaptable deployment benefits of LoRa devices and wireless radio frequency technology to perform faster and be more accurate. Semtech conducted a trial service over the past year and LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation successfully achieved optimal response times with accuracy.

AVAILABILITY: While we allow a free trial period for any company to utilize LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation, this service comes with a simple and cost effective consumption-based pricing model. General sign-up via a new LoRa Cloud services portal is expected to go live this summer.

LoRa Cloud Geolocation is a great addition to Semtech’s development accelerators that streamline and simplify the process of developing, deploying and managing LoRa-based IoT applications — including additional solutions such as basic code building blocks and modem-based LoRa hardware — for rapid IoT application design and deployment.

Compatible with all LoRaWAN-based devices on all LoRaWAN-based networks, LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation also ensures total device anonymity and is 100% stateless, with all required data collected into a suitable query. The Cloud API supports multiple antennae per gateway and can be deployed in public Cloud or on premise for the person or organization using the software. LoRa Cloud™ Geolocation enables geolocation with no additional power consumption in the device as it does not require any special hardware or software on the device itself.

IoT solutions can provide analytical and actionable insights to modify the ways in which organizations operate and we consume natural resources. With LoRa Cloud Geolocation, we’re making it easier to use, flexible to deploy, and affordable.

For more information, reach out to loracloudservices@semtech.com or visit https://bit.ly/2Y915cf.

This week, more than 40,000 people arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area RSA 2019. As one of the most well-known, well-attended and most influential security conferences globally, RSA is prime to have today’s current pulse on all things security. In years past, cyber security has been a key topic of interest — and with the recent GDPR regulation — increasingly we’re witnessing organizations adopt new practices. This year’s show theme was Better. As mentioned on the conference website: “Which means working hard to find better solutions. Making better connections with peers from around the world. And keeping the digital world safe so everyone can get on with making the real world a better place.”

It’s this topic that plays well into the Semtech conversation. Semtech is committed to making the world a better place, using technology to achieve that, and helping people deliver better services, deployments or offerings to their customers globally. When looking at connectivity for smart applications — such as lighting, gas metering, water metering or building management — having the correct, secure wireless protocol is king.

In collaboration with the LoRa Alliance™, Semtech’s expansive roster of customers deliver LoRa-based highly secure sensors for these smart home applications leveraging the LoRaWAN, low-power wide area network (LPWAN) network. As you may be familiar, the LoRaWAN™ open protocol is a standardized system, ensuring streamlined implementation that is easily interoperable with companies such as telecommunication operators, IoT solution providers and applications. In fact, chances are there is a LoRa-enabled sensor in your home and you’re running the application data to / from the LoRaWAN network.

Let’s talk more about its security.

Security doesn’t have to be a concern for our customers because LoRaWAN is a network technology that was designed from the outset to take security into account. While some may immediately think LPWAN is an easy target — offering low-cost, reliable connectivity over large distances — it’s not. To join a LoRaWAN-based network, each device must provide credentials that satisfy a network server that it is a legitimate user. Furthermore, the device must identify that it’s connected to the correct system. This ensures that only authorized and secure devices will be connected to authentic and secure networks.

Perhaps most important is that during the manufacturing process, each LoRaWAN-based device is personalized with a unique 128bit AES key, known in the protocol as the AppKey. The device also includes a globally unique identifier, DevEUI, that is based on the IEEE EUI64 address space. Each network has its own identifier that is based on a 24bit address range and managed by the LoRa Alliance.

What top trends and themes did you witness at RSA? How are these vendors doing better? How can we still be doing more, to be better?

The City of Calgary in Alberta, Canada recently took a leap to deploy one of the first City-owned LoRaWAN™-based networks in North America. Over the course of 20 years, Calgary has worked to build a strong municipal communication infrastructure fostering innovation with internal City business units, civic partners, educational institutions and the broader industry. After years of slowly building this system they discovered Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) which could be implemented at minimal cost. With a population of over one million people, Calgary set a goal for a comprehensive smart city initiative through LoRaWAN to accelerate the adoption of Internet and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) services, to positively impact the services supported and delivered to citizens. Calgary envisions its City Network of Things (CNot) will be used by many of the City’s 31 business units to eventually connect tens of thousands of sensors.

University of Calgary Partnership

The cooperation of several business and community partnerships have been essential to Calgary’s IoT evolution. The University of Calgary has played a major role as professors and students there have long researched wireless sensor networks. Intrigued by LoRa’s promise of long range connectivity, they began to study the technologies and its capabilities for IoT. Once it was determined LoRa Technology was a viable solution for IoT applications, they shifted focus to developing IoT applications that can benefit from this technology such as Calgary’s urban noise pollution monitoring system and potential applications such as forest health monitoring. The University of Calgary continues to work towards a more connected society developing additional low-cost systems based on LoRa Technology to help make their city a haven for IoT implementation.

LoRaWAN Smart City Applications

IoT applications in the City of Calgary continue to improve the quality of life in ways that just a few years prior only existed in science fiction. The use of LoRa Technology via smart agriculture has helped Calgary’s Devonian Gardens uses LoRa Technology to maintain acres of plants indoors. By utilizing LoRa-based devices to gain an understanding of fundamental characteristics such as air, water, light and humidity, Calgary can provide more efficient predictive care to these plants.

The Shaganappi Point Golf Course recently celebrated its 100th year as the City’s first public golf course making it a historical icon for residents. LoRa Technology enables the course to maintain focus on what is truly important by ensuring the game is entertaining to its players. For example, it is used to track pace of play improving operational efficiencies to ensure the overall experience is enjoyable for customers. Location sensors embedded within the golf carts share real-time information to course marshals to avoid anomalies in pace of play. Once detected, these oddities can be swiftly addressed making for a seamless golfing experience.

Leveraging Semtech’s LoRa Technology the City of Calgary has begun its journey to a more connected and efficient waste conscience community. Through University of Calgary research and continued real world implementation of these devices the possibilities are infinite. It will be exciting to see where these developments will take this growing city.

Every year CES provides a look at how technology is changing our lives. One of the central takeaways from CES 2019 was that everything is becoming connected. Smart devices on display ran the gamut from connected toothbrushes to autonomous cars and everything in between. The wide range of connected applications at the show reinforced the need for LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology), a proven, flexible, scalable, and easy to implement solution for real-world problems in rural and indoor use cases where cellular and Wi-Fi/BLE based networks are ineffective.

LoRa Technology has already made an incredible impact around the world. In 2018, Semtech witnessed the deployment of 18 million LoRa-enabled end nodes, a 60 percent year-over-year increase. By early 2019, there will be more 80 million LoRa-enabled end nodes and 220,000 LoRa-based gateways deployed globally. Additionally, the LoRa Alliance™, the fastest growing Internet of Things (IoT) alliance for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) applications, recently announced it reached a milestone of more than 100 LoRaWAN network operators. With the rising adoption of the LoRaWAN protocol, we look forward to seeing more exciting LoRa-based deployments in smart buildings, smart metering, smart agriculture, smart cities, supply chain, and beyond. Here’s a look at some of the partnerships and case studies we announced over the last year showing how LoRa Technology is making an impact.

Making Homes Intelligent

LoRa Technology’s low power qualities and ability to penetrate dense building materials make it an ideal platform for IoT-connected smart home and building devices. YoSmart, a high-tech enterprise specializing in smart home and life products, released a new series of LoRa-enabled products including thermostats, sprinkler controllers, door locks, leakage monitors, and smoke alarms. These devices connect to a building’s network and allow consistent, remote monitoring to better conserve energy and predict when maintenance is necessary, saving property managers money.

Eliminating Water Waste

The Apana water management solution provides businesses with detailed insights into their total water footprint by identifying process drift, mechanical malfunctions and failure points. Apana selected LoRa-based radio transceivers to create a LPWAN solution for connected water utility meters — the Apana LiNK network — for easy deployment and flexibility. Costco Wholesale was an early adopter of Apana and continues to be one of its largest customers. After testing in its Southern California locations, the company noticed an average of a 20 percent reduction in water use and also saw about a 22 percent savings in their water bills. Following the successful rollout in Southern California, Costco deployed Apana’s LoRa-based water management solution across the rest of its North American locations.

Building Smarter Cities

The City of Calgary is leveraging LoRa Technology to improve efficiencies and quality of life for all its residents and tourists. Learn about how Calgary’s Devonian Gardens uses LoRa Technology to maintain acres of plants indoors, how the Urban Alliance designed an innovative solution to monitor and characterize sound throughout the city and how Shaganappi Point Golf Course tracks pace of play to improve operational efficiencies.

Connecting Everything from the Ground Up

Alibaba Cloud introduced the industry’s first LoRa-based airship balloon, which connected sensors from 20 meters underground to 40,000 meters above ground demonstrating the extensive capabilities of LoRa Technology including long range, simple and flexible network deployment. Semtech and Alibaba Cloud’s joint effort secures and establishes the radio spectrum for the rapid growth of IoT solutions for multiple vertical markets and new use cases in China, including logistics tracking, air quality monitoring, food safety compliance, and smoke detecting safety.

After an action-packed 2018, we are well underway to establishing LoRa as the de facto platform for IoT solutions, and we look forward to continuing to drive the growth of LoRa Technology around the world.