LoRa Edge solutions released by Semtech to simplify and speed IoT applications
Semtech Corporation, a supplier of analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced LoRa Edge, a versatile and low power software defined LoRa based platform.
The platform is designed to enable a wide portfolio of applications for indoor and outdoor asset management. Semtech is targeting the industrial, building, home, agriculture, transportation, and logistics markets.
The first product from this portfolio is a geolocation solution that claims to revolutionise the development of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for asset management applications. It features low power Wi-Fi and GNSS sniffing capabilities combined with simple to use and cost effective LoRa Cloud geolocation and device management services to significantly reduce the cost and complexity of locating and monitoring IoT assets.
“Semtech continually delivers Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that simplify and accelerate the development of LPWAN applications,”says Pedro Pachuca, director of IoT Wireless in Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “LoRa Edge and LoRa Cloud geolocation services enable customers to develop ultra-low power applications for a variety of industries and will expand the mass adoption of LoRa in the IoT ecosystem.”
Over the next decade, 500 billion devices are expected to connect to the internet (Cisco), as organisations continue to shift towards a more IoT-focused business strategy, and the majority of those IoT devices require some form of localisation capability either at point of install or through the assets life.
The LoRa Edge geolocation platform will enable solution providers to leverage the unique localisation capabilities of LoRa as well as GNSS and Wi-Fi scanning capabilities from a single chip solution, allowing customers to choose the best localisation tool for the application task they are addressing.
By removing the need for incremental GNSS and Wi-Fi components, LoRa Edge reduces the bill of material (BOM) costs of devices and significantly reduces design and procurement complexity. With the addition of LoRa Cloud geolocation services, providing easy-to-use and cost effective TDOA, GNSS and Wi-Fi-based location calculation in the Cloud to dramatically reduce device power requirements and improve asset management efficiency, LoRa Edge enables customers to further manage total cost of ownership (TCO), paying only when they need an asset to be located. The best-in-class key provisioning at point of manufacture and a secure join process further simplifies the development of IoT solutions, which adhere to customers exacting expectations of security.
Key product features:
Multi-Purpose radio front-end
- 150 – 2700 MHz continuous frequency synthesiser range
- GPS/BeiDou scanning
- Wi-Fi passive scanning
Low-Power LoRa/(G)FSK RF transceiver
- Worldwide frequency bands support in the range 150 – 960 MHz
- High power PA path +22 dBm
- High efficiency PA path +15 dBm
- Fully compatible with the LoRaWAN standard
Cryptographic engine
- Hardware support for AES-128 encryption/decryption based algorithms
- Handling device parameters such as DevEUI and JoinEUI
- Protects confidential information such as encryption keys
- Stores NwkKey, AppKey, as defined in the LoRaWAN standard
Semtech’s LoRa devices are widely adopted long-range, low-power solutions for IoT that gives telecom companies, IoT application makers and system integrators the feature set necessary to deploy low-cost, interoperable IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide. IoT networks based on the LoRaWAN specification have been deployed in 100 countries and Semtech is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance, the fastest growing IoT alliance for low power wide area network applications.
The first LoRa Edge chipset targeted with geolocation (LR1110) is available today and more products from this portfolio will be released in the first half of 2020.
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