Multi-Tech Commercializes LoRa Network Site Survey Tool

Multi-Tech Systems Inc. today took the wraps off a site survey tool for LoRa networks.

The mDot Box is a portable LoRa endpoint device. This is actually release 3.0 of this product from Multi-Tech Systems, but the previous versions were for demonstration purposes, and this version will actually be sold to customers, explained Daniel Quant, vice president of product management and strategic marketing.

The company also offers the mDot EVB developer board, which expedites LoRa proof of concept efforts. Both solutions use LEDs and LCD displays to offer a visual on such parameters as ambient light, electrical current, pressure, and temperature. The mDot Box also features a GPS module, six sensors, an accelerator, and an external antenna.

Users of mDot Box can employ Google Maps to identify areas with the best connectivity so they can optimize the placement of LoRa infrastructure. The mDot Box solution can also be used as an R&D tool to assess LoRa performance, said Quant. He added that users can customize the solution to meet their requirements and address other tasks, such as helping to justify budgets.

Multi-Tech Solutions is bullish on LoRa because of its link budget, power efficiency, ability to work in noisy environments and not interfere with itself, and usability for enterprise network deployments, Quant said.

As Carl Ford of Crossfire Media wrote in his first quarter 2016 IoT Evolution magazine column, LoRa has the advantage of long-range coverage with a chirp spread spectrum modulation, which maintains the same low power characteristics as FSK modulation but significantly increases the communication range. With a minimal amount of infrastructure, Ford wrote, entire countries can easily be covered with LoRa technology.

Quant said Multi-Tech Systems has industry-leading LoRa modules and gateways, but the company is not just about LoRa. Multi-Tech Systems, he added, has radically changed its portfolio in the last two years. Today, he said, intelligence is built into all of the Multi-Tech Systems products so decisions can be made at the edge for better performance and power efficiency indoors and out.