The LoRa Alliance, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN protocol for the Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), announced this week that it has expanded its LoRaWAN certification program.
The enhanced certification testing suite meets the requirements of LoRaWAN network operators and assures end users that certified devices have the required quality and range to work on any network out of the box.
The enhanced certification program offers benefits for device manufacturers, network operators and end customers. Device manufacturers will save time and expense by undergoing a single certification process that covers conformance, interoperability and RF testing.
LoRaWAN network architecture is deployed in a star-of-stars topology in which gateways relay messages between end-devices and a central network server. The gateways are connected to the network server via standard IP connections and act as a transparent bridge, simply converting RF packets to IP packets and vice versa.
The wireless communication takes advantage of the Long Range characteristics of the LoRaÒ physical layer, allowing a single-hop link between the end-device and one or many gateways. All modes are capable of bi-directional communication, and there is support for multicast addressing groups to make efficient use of spectrum during tasks such as Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) upgrades or other mass distribution messages.
The specification defines the device-to-infrastructure (LoRa®) physical layer parameters & (LoRaWAN) protocol and so provides seamless interoperability between manufacturers, as demonstrated via the device certification program.
While the specification defines the technical implementation, it does not define any commercial model or type of deployment (public, shared, private, enterprise) and so offers the industry the freedom to innovate and differentiate how it is used.
The LoRaWAN specification is developed and maintained by the LoRa Alliance: an open association of collaborating members. Network operators no longer need to perform additional network testing on LoRaWAN Certified devices. Finally, end users are assured that a device will deliver the expected performance.
To further accelerate the certification process, the LoRa Alliance also introduced a significant new member benefit, the LoRaWAN Certification Test Tool (LCTT).
LCTT is a precertification testing tool designed for use at a device manufacturer’s own facility to pretest and prove a device design before shipping it for formal certification testing. This benefits members by allowing full testing and regression testing of their device at their location, saving time and money by allowing them to debug and finalize their designs prior to starting the formal certification process.
With an initial release this week for testing in specific regions, full global availability of LCTT is anticipated in the coming months for LoRa Alliance members.
“LoRaWAN is the de facto LPWAN industry standard,” said Donna Moore, CEO and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “A key role of the LoRa Alliance is to ensure that all LoRaWAN devices pass a comprehensive and rigorous test suite and deliver the quality and performance expected by installers and end users alike. With millions of LoRaWAN devices in the field and deployment rapidly scaling, the LoRaWAN Certified mark provides confidence to the market that devices will perform as intended.”
“European LoRaWAN network operators recently mandated that only LoRaWAN Certified devices can be used on their networks, underscoring robustness of our device testing and certification program,” said Moore. “Further, this mandate is a key indicator of the maturity of the LoRaWAN protocol and market desire for devices that carry the LoRaWAN Certified mark of quality and brand promise.”
