SigFox / LoraWAN

[scott_e]

Anyone here have any experience with SigFox or LoraWAN low energy networks?

[graeme]

Only a passing interest from a product development point of view. There's no SigFox coverage up here, so not bothered getting any dev kit to play with.

LoRaWAN is a good idea, but again, coverage is an issue. I'm not buying a gateway until I there's more coverage (catch 22?), or if I have a use for it locally where one gateway would be enough.

[scott_e]

Thanks for the reply Graeme. SigFox cover central belt pretty well now but nothing in Dundee yet. We can deploy our own gateway but then you have bandwidth costs which kind of negates the price point issue. We have a few price sensitive projects in the works , SigFox / LoraWAN are ideal. Getting some hardware to play with but getting the ear of an expert would be beneficial for us.

[graeme]

Vehicle tracking/data logging sort of stuff? For some reason I recall you do vehicle trackers of some sort... not sure where I got that from though.

[scott_e]

Good memory We have built a data collection , data processing , event/notification architecture on Azure , massively scalable, white label. One use case is vehicle tracking , another is asset security but just as easily it can be any remote device metric you would want to collect and process. Mostly GRPS to date, LPWAN (low powered wide area) is a great way to transmit small packets at low cost , couple that with the economies of scale on Azure and low cost sensors there is a shed load of use cases that are very viable in the world of IoT. (Sales pitch over )

[robin]

Do you have contacts with distributors for the SigFox stuff? We had someone in a while back - of no relevance to us in the end - but I am sure I could dig out some contacts if of use.

Cheers,
Robin

[scott_e]

Hi Robin , thanks for the post and the offer. Our sister company are SignFox chip distributors, they build PCBs for some of our tracking products but not with SigFox components to date. I am looking for off the shelf hardware in this case for a POC so we dont need to wait for a dedicated hardware build which are clearly more expensive too. Rapid POCs are one of our strategic aims as an organisation. May end up getting off the shelf hardware via them as they will get better prices from the manufacturer direct as authorised reseller. In addition however LoraWAN allows you to set up your own cell networks from what I can tell with very reasonable priced kit , looking for someone with knowledge in this area to help get us started.

[scott_e]

Graeme, your organisation does software development for the O&G sector right ? (Assuming your surname starts F and based in Aberdeen - from Linked In). I am not a dev, more Operations and infrastructure. The pace of change in the industry is astounding with cloud computing platforms these days. Hard to keep up , but good fun

What about yourself Robin ? Me on Linked In if you are on there https://uk.linkedin.com/in/scottedgaruk

[robin]

I am linked in but your settings appear to block me sending you an invite without me having an email for you - I don't think my settings are that way - so you can find me the other way:

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robin-iddon-9504301

Snappy link, eh?

Anyway, as to what I do, that's more complex to describe as I am a jack of all trades really

Cheers,
Robin

[campbell]

Probably quicker to list what Robin doesn't do

PowerPoint, for a start, I'll bet. Lol.

[graeme]

Graeme, your organisation does software development for the O&G sector right ? (Assuming your surname starts F and based in Aberdeen - from Linked In). I am not a dev, more Operations and infrastructure. The pace of change in the industry is astounding with cloud computing platforms these days. Hard to keep up , but good fun

Yup, that's me. Lighthouse platform looks very interesting. We may have uses for that. At least, it would let us get some stuff to market quicker than we'd planned. If you're ever up Abzshire way, give me a shout.

[scott_e]

Yup, that's me. Lighthouse platform looks very interesting. We may have uses for that. At least, it would let us get some stuff to market quicker than we'd planned. If you're ever up Abzshire way, give me a shout.

Will do Graeme. Good to understand what SE'ers do , you never know where a bit of business can be done. Great chatting to you. Cheers.

Probably quicker to list what Robin doesn't do PowerPoint, for a start, I'll bet. Lol.

Anyway, as to what I do, that's more complex to describe as I am a jack of all trades really

You have passively helped be a few times over the years Robin , just reading your posts are like opening a technical document most days ...

Invite sent ....

Have a good weekend all.
Scott

[scott_e]

Question. If we wanted to install our own LoraWAN RF cell in a public place how do you go about achieving that ?

Assumes cell internet connectivity is 3G , assumes we have the appropriate licence for the RF frequency.

I guess there is planning, consultation processes that are mandatory for public sites , clearly out of my depth a bit here. I guess ideally you would want the installation piggy backing on localised cell towers which I imagine is expensive.

Installing an RF cell on private site doesn't seem to be an issue .... just need a sponsor in the correct spot and connectivity.

We are looking at a POC where LPWAN networks are a good fit due to the small packet payload involved. However we have a decade of experience with GPRS , so using the mobile network has less friction. LPWAN network are the future for IoT platforms IMO and we are really keen on gaining better knowledge in this area.

Interested in any experiences.

Thank you for any advice.
Scott

[robin]

Am assuming the 3G is backhaul - i.e. you are a 3G terminal, not a 3G cell.

Even on private land you'll need planning permission for the aerial as it's not a permitted type (TV, satellite dish are permitted) and I assume it will be more than a couple of meters tall:

http://rsgb.org/main/operating/planning-matters/

Of course that will be written with an English slant, but I would expect the rules in Scotland to be the same.

That said, if it's somewhere not totally obvious on private land and it is easy to dismantle I suspect you could just whack it up.

Am assuming that you're using the 868MHz band?

Cheers,
Robin

[scott_e]

Good questions , some of which I cannot answer yet.

One of the R&D devices we are looking at:
http://www.multitech.com/datasheets/86002170.pdf

Am assuming the 3G is backhaul - i.e. you are a 3G terminal, not a 3G cell.

R&D - 1 RJ-45 Ethernet 10/100 port / will use our leased line.
POC - LTE 3GPP / with HSPA+ 42/GPRS fallback.

Even on private land you'll need planning permission for the aerial as it's not a permitted type (TV, satellite dish are permitted) and I assume it will be more than a couple of meters tall:

Antenna Female SMA, 2dBi detachable antennas. This suggests its relatively small.

http://rsgb.org/main/operating/planning-matters/

Useful , thank you.

Am assuming that you're using the 868MHz band?

Hardware options are 433 , 868 , 902/928.
We have some bespoke tracking devices using 433MHz in the UK but I believe its very busy.
902/928 is RFID ID i think.
868 I believe is less congested but has a "limited duty cycle". Would seem like the preferred choice.