Enhanced LoRaWAN capacities in East-Frisia, Germany
Who is interested in the Internet of Things short IoT, will also come across LoRaWAN quite quickly. The network technology enables the transmission of data over long distances with the help of base stations, which are usually not operated commercially.
Paired with the „The Things Network“ (TTN) initiative, these gateways are operated by enthusiasts all over the world and are freely available to everyone. These can be small systems based on Raspberry-Pi, up to industrial gateways that are installed on buildings and towers as high as possible to achieve large ranges.
Together with the ferry shipping company Reederei Norden-Frisia, we have already launched numerous projects using LoRaWAN. For this purpose, it became necessary to provide the areas of application with an appropriate network connection. As a result of this effort, a respectable network of base stations has been created in the region, which supplies large parts of our rural area.
Base stations from various manufacturers were mounted:
- Kerlink LoRaWAN Wirnet iStation – PDTIOT-ISS04
- Kerlink LoRaWAN Outdoor Wirnet Station – KER – WIR868
- MikroTik LoRaWAN – wAP LoRa8 kit and MikroTik LoRaWAN – LoRa Antenna kit
The locations can be identified by the maps stored in the TTN Mapper. Most of the installations are located on towers and buildings with a height of more than 20 meters, which in our case leads to excellent results. Under optimum conditions sensor data can be received over many kilometers so that, depending on the application, we reach great coverage in the East Frisian region.
In some cases, connections are even established to stations in the neighboring Netherlands that are far more than 100 kilometers away. A closer look at the maps shows that a regional network has been created, which does not have to fear comparison with large metropolitan areas.
While we are already using the network for our own projects or those of our customers, we will continue to drive forward and optimize the expansion. This will also benefit the general public – the community.