Long range, low power

Meter reading over LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN was designed to move a little data a long way. Meter reading is exactly that kind of job: a few short messages a day, kilometres of distance, years of battery life. On scattered sites one gateway covers a wide area.

At a glance

Network type: LPWAN — low power, long range
Architecture: End device → gateway → network server → application
Data rate: Low; more than enough for meter reading
Range: Kilometres in open areas; varies with construction density

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What is LoRaWAN?

LoRaWAN is a wireless standard in the LPWAN (low-power wide-area network) family. The LoRa part refers to the spread-spectrum modulation that makes long range possible; the WAN part is the network architecture built on top of that radio layer.

The architecture has three pieces: end devices (the meters), gateways and a network server. The meter transmits, gateways in range pick the message up and pass it to the network server, which discards duplicates and forwards the data to the application — in this case the reading panel.

Its strength lies in the trade-off between range and power. The data rate is low, but a few bytes is all meter reading needs. That is why a meter can run for years without a battery change and a single gateway can cover an entire campus.

How it works

Reading with LoRaWAN, step by step

The path from installation to an index landing in the panel.

A gateway is installed
A gateway is placed high enough to see the site. In open areas one gateway can cover a large area; in dense construction several are used.
Meters join the network
Each meter joins with its own identity and keys. The join details are stored on the meter record in the panel.
The meter transmits
The meter sends a short message at its configured interval, carrying the index, status and any alarm flags.
The message reaches the panel
The gateway receives it, the network server validates it and removes duplicates, and the data is forwarded to the reading panel and archived.
Signal and battery are monitored
Signal quality and battery status are tracked; weakening points are corrected by moving the gateway or adding another.

Technical summary

Network type: LPWAN — low power, long range
Architecture: End device → gateway → network server → application
Data rate: Low; more than enough for meter reading
Range: Kilometres in open areas; varies with construction density
Battery life: Depends on transmit interval; measured in years
Security: Encryption with device and application level keys

Choosing

When is LoRaWAN the right choice?

There is no single right path for every building. These two lists are the criteria we apply during a site survey.

Good fit

Large campuses, villa sites and university-style grounds
Buildings scattered far apart
Areas where cabling is not economical
Deployments that need long battery life and low maintenance

Poor fit

Scenarios needing very frequent reads during the day
Dense meter clusters inside a single building — wired M-Bus is usually more economical

In NovuSoft

How LoRaWAN reading is managed in the panel

Supporting a protocol is not enough; what the data means and what happens when a meter cannot be read must be defined too.

Bulk reading through the gateway

Messages arriving from the gateway are matched to meter records in the panel; hundreds of scattered meters are managed in one list.

Same archive, same billing engine

An index from LoRaWAN and one from wired M-Bus land in the same archive. On the calculation side there is no difference at all.

Signal and battery tracking

Signal quality and battery status are tracked on the meter record, so weakening points appear long before period close.

Silent device alerts

Meters that miss their expected transmission window are collected in a separate list and can be moved to a field task.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about LoRaWAN

How is LoRaWAN different from wM-Bus?

wM-Bus works at building scale over short distances and was designed specifically for metering. LoRaWAN is a general-purpose network operating at site scale over kilometres. For scattered, wide areas LoRaWAN fits better; inside a single building wM-Bus usually does.

Does the gateway need internet access?

Yes, the gateway needs a connection to reach the network server. This can be the site's existing internet or a mobile data link.

How often can meters be read?

Transmit interval depends on device configuration and band usage rules. Daily reading is a typical configuration; the more frequent the transmission, the shorter the battery life.