A non-profit association formed in 2015 wrote specifications for secure bidirectional wireless communications between battery-operated sensors, actuators, and trackers. Five hundred companies including Mueller Systems, Neptune Technology Group, and Trimble Water belong to the LoRa Alliance (LoRa = long-range).
Senet A non-profit association formed in 2015 wrote specifications for secure bidirectional wireless communications between battery-operated sensors, actuators, and trackers. Five hundred companies including Mueller Systems, Neptune Technology Group, and Trimble Water belong to the LoRa Alliance (LoRa = long-range).

Municipalities that connect assets via large cellular or local Wi-Fi networks now have a third transmission option -- low-power, wide-area networks (LPWANs) – that can be used to bridge the gaps between the other two. By transporting small streams of data instead of high-bandwith transmissions, the technology uses less power, costs less to deploy, and lasts longer in the field.

LPWANs are designed for applications that send and receive small amounts of data over long distances a few times an hour or maybe just once a day. By collecting and transmitting only the data needed for specific applications or operations, the networks cost-effectively support a broad range of “smart” solutions as opposed to one-off applications.

This presents opportunities for public service improvements, particularly if your agency or municipality has deployed automated meter reading (AMR) or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). If so, other infrastructure-related functions can maximize taxpayer dollars by layering on other Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Birth of a new network type

In March 2015, telecommunication companies, equipment manufacturers, and system integrators formed a non-profit association to develop a specification for secure bidirectional wireless communications between battery-operated sensors, actuators, and trackers. Five hundred companies belong to the LoRa Alliance (LoRa = long-range) making it one of the world’s fastest-growing technology collaborations. Released in late 2017, LoRaWAN 1.1 adds capabilities including handover roaming, Class B device support, and security enhancements. Download the 100-page specification for free from the LoRa Alliance Resource HUB.

Unlike mesh networks that use equal-priority gateways to send data from nodes to a server, communication between devices in LPWANs is spread over different frequency channels and data rates. The server controls how much and how quickly data travels between devices and gateways, creating virtual channels that don’t interfere with each other and require less battery power. The high-availability, fault-tolerant, redundant, and encrypted architecture connects sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost-prohibitive for cellular or local area networks (LANs).

Water utilities get on board

Mueller Systems, a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products Inc.; Neptune Technology Group; and Trimble Water are LoRa Alliance members. In addition to improving billing operations by better monitoring consumption, water utilities use the companies’ hardware and software to identify leaks that could lead to main breaks and other catastrophic events.

For example, water meters are often located in pits and basements and sometimes in areas without power. LoRaWAN penetrates buildings and obstacles better than other wireless technologies and requires fewer gateways to provide ubiquitous coverage, opening the door to gathering more granular readings and advanced features such as on-demand readings, leak detection reporting, and valve on/off control. For example, some utilities are replacing mechanical with electronic controls that measure water level in tanks and flow rate through valves.

These are relatively inexpensive upgrades that cut costs by automating formerly manual processes and enable operators to head off potential system problems. There are other water-sector applications as well. For example, six years ago, a California irrigation district switched from gravity-fed distribution initiated by a farmer’s phone call to an online, demand-based system. Municipalities can use similar solutions to conserve water when maintaining parks, gardens, farm shares, and community-supported agriculture areas.

Applications beyond water and sewer

Utilities and municipalities can operate Internet of Things (IoT) applications on a public LoRa network with a choice in providers or in a federated public/private model that supports rapid deployment, broad coverage, and revenue-sharing without any single party incurring the brunt of the capital equipment expense. Either model can lay the foundation for:

  • Waste management. Instead of collecting under-filled containers while others overflow, optimize routes to save fuel, personnel, and equipment costs.
  • Public facility monitoring. Monitor access, lighting, temperature, air quality, and other performance metrics to implement cost-saving predictive maintenance.
  • Air quality and noise pollution monitoring. Make urban living more appealing by improving health conditions; comply with environmental regulations.
  • Smart parking and traffic management. Contribute to community environmental goals by reducing traffic congestion; monetize real-time parking data to feed parking applications.

LoRaWAN is the protocol of choice for applications that need long-distance sensors and long battery life. Municipalities that add LoRaWAN to their technology portfolio will not only drive service efficiencies, but also help create a business paradigm that has the potential to transform markets and economies.