LPWAN technologies: NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, Sigfox

This article looks at three of the most popular IoT network technologies available today: NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things), LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) and Sigfox. For each one you get the definition, its advantages and its disadvantages; towards the end, the features they offer side by side and Thinger.io's view on the choice. Most of the advantages come down to three things: scalability, coverage and consumption.

The needs of the company are what matter most when choosing an IoT protocol.

It operates on 4G/LTE cellular networks and provides a wide coverage range with low latency and high reliability. NB-IoT is suitable for applications that require data transfer over long distances, such as smart metering or asset tracking in urban environments. The technology supports up to 10,000 devices per base station, which makes it ideal for large-scale deployments.

Advantages of NB-IoT

• High scalability: the combination of low device networking cost and reduced complexity makes NB-IoT perfect for high scalability.
• Cost-effectiveness: NB-IoT operates with small amounts of data, which means low energy usage, with devices in power-saving mode most of the time.
• Strong coverage: its high building penetration makes NB-IoT ideal for transmission inside buildings, where access to existing internal network infrastructure may be limited.

Disadvantages of NB-IoT

• Data: NB-IoT offers a lower data rate than LTE Cat-M1, approximately 250 kbps for downloads and 20 kbps for uploads, which makes it not suitable for big projects.
• Speech transmission: NB-IoT does not support Voice over LTE (VoLTE), so voice transmission is impossible.
• Roaming: NB-IoT does not support roaming, unlike LTE-M and Sigfox. Support is expected soon.

The state of roaming as published in March 2023.

For NB-IoT in the field, the NB-IoT hydrological monitoring system measures soil moisture and water levels in remote catchments with nodes built on an ESP-32 and a Quectel NB-IoT modem, connected to Thinger.io.

It can connect millions of sensors over long distances with low power consumption, which makes it suitable for many applications, including smart cities, agriculture monitoring and smart lighting. LoRaWAN also supports secure encryption protocols, so it is reliable and secure enough for sensitive applications such as healthcare or security systems.

Advantages of LoRaWAN

• Security: LoRaWAN uses 128-bit cryptographic keys and algorithms to ensure two layers of security, providing end-to-end security.
• Networks: LoRaWAN offers flexible deployment, with public and private networks. In a public network, a telecom operator deploys the gateways and the backhaul, and customers pay the operator to connect their end devices. Anyone can set up a private LoRaWAN network with their own gateways, backhaul and end devices within range of those gateways.
• Underground coverage: thanks to its sub-gigahertz radio modulation, LoRaWAN provides extensive indoor coverage and reaches end devices in basements and underground, such as utility meters and parking sensors. It also communicates at long range: up to 5 km in urban areas and up to 15 km or more in rural areas.
• Battery life: low-power, long-range transmission gives LoRaWAN devices a battery life of up to 10 years or more.

Disadvantages of LoRaWAN

• Low transmission rate: LoRa's long transmission distance comes at the cost of a low transmission rate. In wireless communication, the rate decreases as the distance increases and increases as the distance gets shorter.
• Possible spectrum interference: with more and more LoRa networks and equipment deployed, interference can occur between them.

It is designed for long-range communication with low power consumption, which makes it ideal for applications such as asset tracking or remote monitoring in rural areas. Unlike other technologies, Sigfox does not require additional hardware infrastructure such as antennas or repeaters, so it is an attractive choice for businesses that want to deploy large-scale IoT networks quickly and cost-effectively.

Advantages of Sigfox

• Low power consumption: ideal for simple devices that transmit data infrequently, as it sends small amounts of data at a slow pace.
• Coverage: it provides wide coverage in the areas where it is available.
• Simple installation: it is simple to set up, with no cables and no complicated installation procedures.

Sigfox can significantly reduce the energy consumption and the expenses of connected devices. It is ideal for low-power applications that transmit small amounts of data at irregular intervals across long distances.

Disadvantages of Sigfox

• Availability: it is not deployed everywhere, so it does not work for a large number of use cases yet.
• Mostly uplink: communication works best from the endpoint to the base station. Sigfox is bidirectional, but its capacity from the base station back to the endpoint is constrained, with less link budget going down than going up.
• Mobility: mobility is difficult with Sigfox devices.

Each technology has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to weigh all the options before deciding which one best suits your needs. These are the features they offer, side by side.

Rebuilt as text from the comparison graphic of the original post. The data rate in the table is the graphic's single figure; the NB-IoT section above gives the download and upload rates.

The platform is designed to be affordable and accessible, even for students. Every network and protocol it supports is on the Device connectivity page.

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