LoRa FAQss

1..) WhatisLoRaModula ation?

LoRa(LoongRange)isamodulation ntechniquethatprovides significantlylongerrangethancompetting
technologgies.Themo odulationisbaasedonspreaadspectrum techniquesaandavariationofchirpsprread
spectrum(CSS)within ntegratedforw warderrorco
orrection(FECC).LoRasigniificantlyimprovesthereceeiver
sensitivityyandaswithotherspread dspectrumm modulationtecchniquesusestheentirecchannelbandwidthto
broadcasttasignal,makingitrobustttochanneln noiseandinseensitivetofreequencyoffseetscausedfro
omtheuse
oflowcosstcrystals.LLoRacandemodulatesignaals19.5dBbeelowthenoiseefloorwhilemostfrequen ncyshift
keyingsysstems(FSK)n needasignalppowerof810 0dBabovethhenoisefloortodemodulaateproperly.TheLoRa
modulatio onisthePHYlayerwhichccanbeutilizedbymanydi fferentproto ocolarchitecturesMesh,Star,
6lowPAN,,etc.

2..) WhatisaLoRaGatew way?

TheLoRagatewaysare edesignedtobeusedinloongrangesta rnetworkarcchitecturesan
ndareutilizedina
LoRaWAN Nsystem.TTheyaremultichannel,mu ultimodemtrransceiversandcandemo odulateonmu ultiple
channelssimultaneousslyandevend demodulatem mechannelsimultaneouslydueto
multiplesignaalsonthesam
thepropeertiesofLoRa.ThegatewaaysusedifferentRFcompoonentsthanttheendpointttoenablehiighcapacity
andserveeasatransparentbridgere elayingmessaagesbetweennenddevicessandacentraalnetworkseerverinthe
backend.Gatewaysare econnectedttothenetworkservervia standardIPcconnectionsw
whileenddevvicesuse
singlehoppwirelesscom mmunication ntooneormaanygatewayss.Allendpoin ntcommuniccationisgenerallybi
directionaal,butalsosu
upportsoperaationssuchassmulticastennabling,softw
wareupgrade,overtheairorother
massdistributionmesssagestoredu ucetheonair communicattiontime.Therearedifferrentgatewayversions
dependingthedesired dcapacityand
dinstallationlocation(hom
mevs.tower)).

3..) WhatisLooRaWAN?
TheLoRamodulationisthephysicaallayer(PHY),andLoRaWA ANisaMACp protocolforaahighcapacity,long
rangestarnetworkthaattheLoRaAllianceisstanndardizingforrLowPowerW WideAreaNeetworks(LPW WAN).The
LoRaWAN Nprotocoliso
optimizedforrlowcostbatteryoperateddsensorsand dincludesdiffferentclassessofnodes
tooptimizzethetradeo
offbetweenn networklatencyandbatterrylifetime.Ittisfullybidirrectionalandwas
architecte
edbysecurityyexpertstoe
ensurereliabilityandsafetyy.ThearchittectureofLoRRaWANwasaalso
designedtoeasilylocaateandtrackmobileobjectsforassettrracking,whichisoneofth hefastestgrowwing
volumeappplicationsfoorInternetofThings(IoT).LoRaWANissbeingdeployyedfornationwidenetwo orksby
majortele
ecomoperato ors,andtheLLoRaAllianceisstandardiz ingLoRaWAN Ntomakesurrethediffereent
nationwiddenetworksaareinteroperable.

4..) Whatisth hedataratefforLoRaWAN N?

LoRaWAN NdataratesrangeforLoRaabetween0.3 3kbpsto22kbbpsandoneG GFSKdataratteat100kbpssfor
Europe.InNorthAme ericatheminimumdataratteis0.9kbps duetoFCClimitations.To omaximizebothbattery
lifeofthe
eenddevicesandoveralln networkcapacity,theLoRaaWANnetwo orkserverism
managingthedatarate
andRFou utputforeachhenddeviceindividuallyb
bymeansofaanadaptivedatarate(ADR R)algorithm.TheADRis
criticalforahighperfoormancenetw workanditen orkcanbedeeployedwithaminimal
nablesscalab ility.Anetwo
investmen ntininfrastru
uctureandascapacityisneeded,moregatewayscanbedeployeedandtheAD DRwillshift
thedatarrateshigherw whichwillscalethenetworkcapacitybyy68x.

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 5.) WhatisaLoRaConcentrator?
Thetermgatewayandconcentratorarebothused,buttheyareequivalentcomponentsinaLoRasystem.In
otherindustriesthedefinitionofgatewayandconcentratorimplydifferentcomponents.

6.) HowwelldoesLoRahandleInterference?
TheLoRamodemiscapableofcochannelGMSKrejectionofupto19.5dB,orstateddifferently,itcanreceive
signals19.5dBbelowaninterferingsignalorthenoisefloor.Thisimmunitytointerferencepermitsthesimple
coexistenceofLoRamodulatedsystemseitherinbandsofheavyspectralusageorinhybridcommunication
networksthatuseLoRatoextendrangewhenlegacymodulationschemesfail.

7.) WhatisthedatarateforLoRa?
LoRaWANdefinesaspecificsetofdatarates,buttheendchiporPHYispossibleofmoreoptions.TheSX1272
supportsdataratesfrom0.3to38.4kbps,andtheSX12760.018to38.4kbps.

8.) WhatisaLoRaEndNodeorPoint?
TheLoRaendpointsaretheelementsoftheLoRanetworkwherethesensingorcontrolisundertaken.They
arenormallyremotelylocatedandbatteryoperated.Theseendpointscanbesetuptocommunicatewitha
LoRaGateway(ConcentratororBaseStation)usingtheLoRaWANnetworkprotocol.

9.) WhatisAdaptiveDataRate(ADR)?
AdaptiveDataRateisamethodwheretheactualdatarateisadjustedtoensurereliablepacketdelivery,
optimalnetworkperformance,andscaleforcapacity.Forexample,nodesclosetothegatewaywillusea
higherdatarate(shortertimeonair)andaloweroutputpower.Onlynodesthatareattheveryedgeofthe
linkbudgetwillusethelowestdatarateandhighestoutputpower.TheADRmethodcanaccommodate
changesinthenetworkinfrastructureandsupportvaryingpathloss.Tomaximizebothbatterylifeofend
devicesandoverallnetworkcapacity,theLoRanetworkinfrastructuremanagesthedatarateandRFoutput
foreachenddeviceindividuallybyimplementingADR.

10.) FortheLoRadevices,whatistheactualTxpowerthatcanbeachievedontheantenna?
Atthechippintheoutputpoweris+20dBmandattheantennaaftermatching/filteringlossthepoweris
+19dBm+/0.5dB.DifferentregionshavedifferentregulationsformaxoutputpowerandtheLoRaWAN
specificationdefinesdifferentoutputpowerforthedifferentregionstomaximizethelinkbudget.

11.) WhatisthepriceofaLoRasolution?
WithaLoRadevice(ex:SX1272orSX1276)alowercostcrystalcanbeused.Innarrowbandtechnologyan
expensivetemperaturecontrolledcrystalisneededtominimizefrequencydriftduringRX/TX.Atypicalbillof
materialscostforacompleteendnodeisbetween25dollarsdependingonvolumeandfeatures.Along
transmitrangemeanssimplernetworkinfrastructureandlowercostofdeploymentasnorepeatersare
necessary.Lowerpowerconsumptionmeansusinglowercostbatteriesandnetworkmaintenance.

12.) WhatistheprocessoftheLoRaCAD(ChannelActivityDetector)mode?
InsteadofusingaRSSI(ReceivedSignalStrengthIndicator)methodtoidentifyifasignalispresentthechannel
activitydetector(CAD)isusedtodetectthepresenceofaLoRasignal.TheCADdetectionhastheadvantage
ofbeingmuchfasterthanatypicalRSSIdetectionandthecapabilitytodifferentiatebetweennoiseanda
desiredLoRasignal.TheCADprocessrequirestwosymbols,andiftheCADisdetected,theCAD_Detected
interruptwillbeassertedandthedevicewillstayinRXmodetoreceivethedatapayload.

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13.) IsitOKtochangethemodebetweenFSKandLoRamodulationfrequently?
Yes,itisnoproblem.TheLoRadevicecanbeswitchedfromFSKtoLoRa(andviceversa)viasimpleSPI
registerwrite.Thishasnoissueontheperformanceorreliabilityofthedevice.ALoRadevicecanbe
configuredandreconfiguredtoanyoftheparametersasspecifiedinthedatasheets.

14.) WhyistheoutputpowerofmyLoRadeviceorModulenotabletoachieve20dBm?
The+20dBmspecificationisfortheoutputpoweratthepinofthechip.ThebandpassfilterandRFswitch
haveinsertionlosscharacteristicsasinanyRFsystem.Achieving+19dBmattheantennaistypical
performanceaftermatchingandfiltering.

15.) Howtotroubleshoottheoutputpowerifitisnotabletoachieve+20dBm?
1.)Pleasemakesurethatyouconnecttherightpin(PA_Boost)setfor20dBmoutput.
Therearetwooutputportsforeachband,oneishighpowerportcalledPA_boost,andanotherisahigh
efficiencyportcalledRFO.
2.)ThenchecktheconfigurationinSW.Threeregistersshouldbeconfiguredcorrectly:RegPaConfig,RegOcp
andRegPaDac.ItmeansthatyoushouldselecttherightpinforproperoutputinSW,thensettheright
valuerefertopowerlevelyouneed.
3.)ConfirmthematchingpertheSemtechreferencedesigntomakeagoodlayout,whichisimportantto
achievethemaximumoutputpowerpossible

16.) HowtochooseapropercrystalforaLoRadevice?
Normally,a+/10ppmXTALisgoodenoughformostdesignswithabandwidthof62.5kHzorhigher.ForBW
lessthan62.5kHz,aTCXOisstronglysuggestedtobeused.Formoredetailsaboutthespecificationofthe
crystal,pleaserefertothedatasheetandLoRaModemCalculatortoolandapplicationnote
AN1200.14_XO_Guidance_LoRa_Modulation_STD.

17.) HowcanIimplementamassproductiontestforaLoRasystem?
Threeparametersareimportanttotestinmassproduction:frequencytolerance,outputpower,and
sensitivity.Thefrequencyandoutputpowerareeasytotestwithaspectrumanalyzer.Ifyoursignal
generatorcantgenerateaLoRasignal,testingthesensitivitywithFSKmodeisstronglysuggested.Thereis
onlyoneRFchaininthechip,andtheFSKandLoRademodulationisdoneinthedigitaldomain.TheRFpath
couldpotentiallybedamagedinassemblysothisisimportanttoverify.Thedigitalportionofthechipwhere
theLoRaandFSKmodulationisdoneisisolatedfromtheeffectsofassemblysotestingFSKsensitivityis
sufficientforverifyingtheproductiontestperformance.ThedigitalandLoRamodulationaretested
extensivelyinthechipproductiontest

18.) ForaLoRawidebandsignal,howcanyoumeasurethefrequencyaccuracyinLoRamode?
Ifitisjustformeasurement,youcanusetheFrequencysynthesisTX(FSTX)modeaslistedintheLoRaregister
tabletogenerateaCWtonebasedontheLoRaconfiguration.

19.) WhatistherelationshipbetweenBandwidth(BW),SymbolRate(Rs)andDataRate(DR)?
Intheory,Rs=BW/(2^SF),DR=SF*(BW/2^SF)*CR.ButwesuggestyouusetheSemtechLoRaModem
Calculatortoevaluatethedatarateandtimeonairfordifferentconfigurationoptions.

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20.) HowdoyouchoosetheLoRaBandwidth(BW),Spreadingfactor(SF)andCodingRate(CR)?
LoRaWANusesprimarilythe125kHzBWsettingbutotherproprietaryprotocolscanutilizeotherBW
settings.ChangingtheBW,SF,andCRchangesthelinkbudgetandtimeonair,whichresultsinabattery
lifetimevsrangetradeoff.PleaseusetheLoRaModemCalculatortoevaluatethetradeoffs.

21.) WhatarethestepstotroubleshootwhentwoSX127xmodulesfromdifferentmanufacturersarenot
abletocommunicatewitheachother?
Firstofall,checkthefrequencyoffsetcausedbythecrystalbetweenthetwodevices.TheBW,center
frequency,anddatarateareallderivedfromthecrystalfrequency.Second,checkthesoftware/firmware
settingsonbothsidesforfrequency,bandwidth,spreadingfactor,codingrateandpacketstructuretoensure
theyarethesame.
22.) Howcanitbepossibletoreceiveawrongpacketwhenthecyclicredundancycheck(CRC)isenabled
inLoRamode?
InLoRamode,eveniftheCRCiswrong,thepayloadwillbefilledintotheFIFO.Wesuggestcheckingheader
andseeifitisvaliddataornot.ThisisduetotheCRCON/OFFinformationincludedintheheader.Discard
thepacketwhentheheaderisinvalid.Inaddition,thereisabitinReg0x1CnamedCrcOnPayload(bit6),read
thisbitbeforecheckingCRC,ifCRCisturnedOFFbymistakethendiscardthispacket.

23.) CanIsendorreceiveanunlimitedlengthpayloadpacketwithaLoRadevice?
No,themaximumpacketlengthis256bytesinLoRamode.

24.) HowcanyouusetheDIOxpinsinLoRamode?ShouldallDIOxpinsbeconnectedtotheMCU?
Whenyoustartyourdesign,checktheDIOMappinginboththeLoRamodeandFSKmode.Youcanfindthe
DIOMappinginformationinSX127xLoRadatasheets.TheDIOsdonotfunctionasnormal(typical)MCU
GPIOs.Therearesomespecialinterruptsignals(orclockoutputs)toindicatetheeventorstatusofthe
chipset,whichthenmakeyourFWdesigneasiertoimplement.Intheory,youcouldconnectnoDIOsandthen
readtherelatedregistertoknowthestatusresult.However,wesuggestthatyouconnecttheDIOasmuch
aspossibleforexternalinterruptfunctionalitywhichsavesontheresourceloadingoftheMCU.

25.) WhyaretheretwoRSSIregistersinLoRamode?Whatisthedifference?
TheRegPktRssiValueandRegRssiValuearebothusefulinLoRamode.RegPktRssiValuereferstothepacket
RSSIlevel,andtheRegRssiValueissimilartotheRSSIthatcanbefoundin(nonLoRa)FSKmode.

Asyouknow,LoRacoulddemodulatethepacketbelowthenoisefloor(PktRssiresult)thenCurrentRssiwould
thenbeequaltoormorethanthenoisefloor.FormoredetailsabouthowtocalculatethesetwoRSSIValues,
pleaserefertotheSemtechAPIorlatestLoRadatasheets.

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26..) Howcanyyoucalculate etheactuallyybitrateandtimeonairfforaLoRasyystem?
Followthe
esteps(iV))listedbelow
w:

Thisiseassytocalculate
ebyusingLoRacalculatorr,whichcanbbedownloadeedonSemtecchwebsite(lin
nkbelow).
http://ww ww.semtech.ccom/apps/file edown/down n.php?file=SX 1272LoRaCalculatorSetup p1%271.zip

27..) CantheppayloadlengthofaLoRam modeconfigurationbesettto256bytesswithanydattarate?

TheSX127 7xLoRadeviccehasaFIFOof256bytesiinLoRamodee.Intheory,aallthe256ByytescouldbeusedforTX
orRX.Ho
owever,withalowdataraateconfigurattionthetime onairwithaa256bytepayyloadwillbevverylong
(thiscould
dbeseveralssecondsorevvenlonger),w
whichisnotg oodforresisttingfadingan
ndhighinterfference
environmments.Thisisnotarobustconfigurationninmostenvvironmentsso oitissuggestedifalongpayloadis
desiredwwithalowdataratethatth
hepacketbessplitintoafe wshorterpa ckets.

28..) IsLoRaa
ameshnetwo ork,pointtopoint,orasttarnetwork??
TheLoRamodulationitselfisaphyssicallayer(PHHYlayer)thattcanbeusedinallmostnetworktopologiesor
configurations.Amesshnetworkexxtendstherangeoftheneetworkbutco omesatthecostofreduceednetwork
capacity,synchronizationoverhead d,andreducedbatterylifettimeduetossynchronizationandhops.Withthe
increased
dlinkbudgetaandrangecap pabilityofLoRathereisnooneedforam
meshnetworkarchitectureetoextend
therange
esoastararchitecturewasschosenforLLoRaWANto optimizethenetworkcap pacity,batteryylifetime
andinstalllationease.

29..) IsLoRaIPv6or6LoWWPANenabled
d?
Yes,LoRaisIPv6and6
6LoWPANcom
mpatible.Acttility(aLoRa partner)andotherpartneersenabled6LoWPAN
ontopofLoRaWAN.

30..) Whatisthhecapacityo ofLoRagateway?Howmmanynodesccanbeconnectedtoasingglegateway??

Capacityiis,firstandfo
oremost,aconsequenceoffthenumberrofpacketsth hatcanbereceivedinagiventime.A
singleSX11301with8channelscanrreceiveapprooximately1.5 millionpackeetsperdayussingLoRaWA ANprotocol.
So,ifyourrapplicationsendsonepaacketperhour,thenasinggleSX1301gaatewaycanhaandleabout6 62,500end
devices.

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