4 Steps to Get Started with LoRaWAN®

TheThings Network

The Things Network Global Team

Posted on 25-07-2022

LoRaWAN® is a low power, wide area communication protocol for data transmission. Its long range, geolocation services, cost-effectiveness and end-to-end security enable endless applications. For example, smart bike trackers, smart farms, cold chain monitoring, tracking sensors and temperature monitoring. Many organizations and individuals have started implementing LoRaWAN to help with their use cases.

However, implementation may involve challenges like long lead times, unforeseen design issues, inappropriate use cases for the technology and improper setup of the network and devices. Here are four simple steps that will help you to become familiar with LoRaWAN, decide how to apply it in your use case and scale your deployment.

Step 1: Learn about LoRaWAN, its architecture and ecosystem

  • Learn about the industry terms like LoRa, LoRaWAN, its bandwidth and range, and how you can use it in the real world. Read the documentation on LoRaWAN and check out Johan Stokking’s, CTO and co-founder’s of The Things Industries, 60-minute presentation on everything you need to know about LoRaWAN.

  • Learn about the latest developments at The Things Conference. The Things Conference is an annual event covering everything that’s happening on the LoRaWAN market. Learn about the latest products, new technologies and features, solutions for developers and businesses, and get hands-on with LoRaWAN-enabled hardware during workshops and the physical Wall of Fame. This and much more is covered in two days of the event. Next The Things Conference is taking place on 25-26 September 2024 in Amsterdam. Get tickets

  • The Things Academy Udemy Course. Join a 5 days course of intense learning, hands-on workshops, and building real use cases using LoRaWAN technology. This will help you gain theoretical and practical knowledge of LoRaWAN standard from the IoT experts. Become a part of The Things Academy

  • Once you find yourself confident with LoRaWAN, certify yourself with The Things Certification, an official exam on LoRaWAN knowledge. There are six different certifications, including Fundamentals, Advanced, Network Management, Security and more depending on your use case needs.

  • Learn from the community forum. The Things Network forum is a great place to stay up-to-date with updates on the LoRaWAN ecosystem, join a discussion about different deployments and implementation options, and communicate with users from all over the world. Join the community

Step 2: Get your hands on LoRaWAN-enabled products

Find the right devices and gateways for your LoRaWAN project. Check out the Device Repository for LoRaWAN, a repository with the most popular products within the LoRaWAN ecosystem. Search for devices based on the feature, application or use case you need and find the device that matches your needs best. Get started

Step 3: Build your own LoRaWAN use-case

Become aware of the technical capabilities of LoRaWAN related to the key factors in the use case. LoRaWAN has been used to simplify processed across different verticals, for example:

Learn about different use cases enabled with LoRaWAN and get inspired to build your own use-case. Learn more

Step 4: Choose a LoRaWAN Network Server

LoRaWAN Network Server is needed to be able to run your use case, and connect and manage devices. The Things Stack is a LoRaWAN Network Server that caters to the needs of demanding LoRaWAN deployments, chas advanced security configurations and device life cycle management, and allows to monitor devices and gateways with an extensive toolset. There are different deployment options depending on your project size:

  • For personal projects, you can use The Things Stack Sandbox, which is an open-source installation platform. Build your use case with open development tools and learn about LoRaWAN and contribute yourself to the knowledge base through the community forum.

Check out the playlist to understand how to get started with The Things Stack. Watch

  • For larger deployments, we recommend like The Things Stack Cloud, a fully-featured network server with set-up support from LoRaWAN experts. The Things Stack is easily integrated with your existing IT infrastructure, run it in the cloud or on-premises. Check out deployment options

Try out The Things Stack Cloud before committing fully through the Discovery Tier. Discover The Things Stack

If you need support in implementing LoRaWAN solutions on a larger scale, know more about the technical know-hows, save time and hassle overcoming the challenges during implementation, our support team and sales engineers provide guidance in your LoRaWAN journey. See available support plans