Semtech Corporation, a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, has announced that its LoRa Wireless RF Technology will be featured in a new low power, wide area network (LPWAN) currently covering more than half the population of New Zealand.
The LoRaWAN-based network was designed by IoT network and software providers KotahiNet and Loriot. It uses gateways and sensors embedded with Semtech LoRa Technology to create a smart sensing network infrastructure so businesses, local governments and conservation groups can collect and analyze data from thousands of connected devices and make more informed decisions about their business operations.
“Our rapid deployment of a LoRaWAN-based network in New Zealand has really helped us prove the effectiveness of LoRa Technology for use in IoT applications,” said Vikram Kumar, Director, KotahiNet. “The network covers both urban and very remote rural areas, and in either situation, the LoRa-based sensors and gateways provide excellent coverage while using very low power to ensure sensor batteries last several years without needing to be replaced. By using network operations services from Loriot and LoRa Technology from Semtech, we were able to quickly and economically roll out a secure, standards-based network within a matter of months. Our goal is to continue expanding the network until it eventually covers all of New Zealand.”
The network originates in Wellington, New Zealand, the country’s capital, and is used for a wide range of IoT applications such as farmers receiving weather change alerts from the network to aid in protecting their crops from frost and tracking the location of lost boats and stolen beehives. EcoNode, a New Zealand-based company using IoT technology for conservation efforts, uses the LoRaWAN-based network to notify workers when predators threatening native species are caught in traps, eliminating the labor-intensive routine of manually inspecting these devices.
“The collaboration between KotahiNet and Loriot to quickly implement a public, LoRa-based LPWAN for New Zealand is an excellent example of how companies in the LoRa Alliance are working together to make the IoT a reality worldwide,” said Marc Pegulu, VP and GM, Wireless and Sensing Product Group, Semtech. “Such collaboration also shows the value of the open LoRaWAN specification as it continues to bring hardware, software and networking companies together to drive innovative solutions for the IoT market and make the world a better place.”
Edited by
Alicia Young
