LoRa and NB-IoT are two promising low-power WAN technologies for IoT applications. While both have characteristics of wide coverage, low power consumption and cost, they differ in their technologies. LoRa uses a spread spectrum modulation technique that improves sensitivity and communication distance at low power, while NB-IoT has evolved from 3GPP standards to support efficient transmission of infrequent packets from a large number of devices. Key advantages of LoRa include long communication distances of up to 15km, large system capacity through parallel processing, and positioning capabilities, making it suitable for applications requiring low power and long range.

1. Difference between LoRa and NB-IoT
LoRa and NB-IoT are the two most promising low-power WAN communication
technologies.
The rapid development of the IoT puts forward higher technical requirements for
wireless communication technology. LPWAN (low-power Wide-Area Network)
designed for low-bandwidth, low-power, long-distance, and large-scale IoT
applications. ) also quickly emerged. NB-IoT and LoRa are typical representatives and
two of the most promising low-power WAN communication technologies.
Both LPWANs have the characteristics of wide coverage, many links, low speed, low
cost, and low power consumption. They are suitable for IoT applications and are
actively expanding their ecosystems. But there are differences between them.
LoRa: Low-power WAN IoT technology that is easy to build and deploy
LoRa was born earlier than NB-IoT. In August 2013, Semtech released a new chip
based on 1Ghz below the Long Range (LoRa) technology. Its acceptance sensitivity
has reached an astonishing -148dbm, and the highest acceptance sensitivity has
improved by more than 20db compared to other advanced sub-Ghz chips in the
industry, which ensures network connection reliability.
It uses linear frequency modulation spread spectrum modulation technology, which
not only maintains the same low power consumption characteristics like FSK
(Frequency Shift Keying) modulation, but also significantly increases the
communication distance, while improving network efficiency and eliminating
interference, that is, different spread spectrum The terminals of the sequence do not
interfere with each other even if they are transmitted at the same frequency.
Therefore, the concentrator/gateway (Concentrator/Gateway) developed on this
basis can receive and process data of multiple nodes in parallel, greatly expanding
the system capacity.
Linear spread spectrum has been used in military and space communications for
decades because it can achieve long communication distances and robustness of
interference, while LoRa is the first to be used for commercial purposes. With the
introduction of LoRa, the situation in the field of embedded wireless communications
has undergone a complete change. This technology changes the previous trade-offs
between transmission distance and power consumption, providing a simple
communication system that can achieve long distance, long battery life, large
capacity, and low cost.

2. The main advantages of LoRa:
1. Greatly improved the sensitivity of acceptance and reduced power consumption
The link budget of up to 157db allows communication distances of up to 15
kilometers (related to the environment). Its receiving current is only 10mA, and the
sleep current is 200nA, which greatly delays the battery life.
2. The gateway/concentrator based on this technology supports parallel processing of
multiple channels and multiple data rates, and the system capacity is large.
If the gateway is installed at the location of the existing mobile communication base
station and the transmission power is 20 dBm (100 mW), it can cover about 2 km in a
densely constructed urban environment, and up to 10 km in a suburb with a lower
density.
3. Terminal and concentrator/gateway based systems can support ranging and
positioning.
LoRa's measurement of distance is based on the signal's over-the-air transmission
time rather than the traditional RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication), while
positioning is based on the multipoint (gateway) measurement of the air
transmission time difference of one point (node). Its positioning accuracy can reach
5m (assuming a range of 10km).
These key features make LoRa technology ideal for IoT applications that require low
power consumption, long distances, extensive links, and location tracking, such as
smart meter reading, smart parking, vehicle tracking, pet tracking, smart farming,
command industry, smart city Applications and areas of smart communities, etc.
4. LoRaWAN is a low-power WAN standard based on the open source MAC layer
protocol introduced by the LoRa Alliance. This technology provides a local, national,
or global network for battery-powered wireless devices. LoRaWAN is aimed at some
of the core technology requirements in the Internet of Things, such as secure
two-way communication, certain communications and static location identification.
The technology enables seamless interworking between smart devices without local
complex configuration, giving users, developers, and enterprises in the Internet of
Things free operation rights.
5. The LoRaWAN network architecture is a typical star topology. In this network
architecture, the LoRa gateway is a transparent transmission relay, linking terminal
devices and back-end central servers. The gateway communicates with the server
through a standard IP link, and the terminal device communicates with one or more
gateways using a single hop. All nodes and gateways are two-way communication,
and also support operations such as cloud upgrade to reduce cloud communication
time.
NB-IoT standards and progress
1. RAN aspect
NB-IoT has evolved from a narrowband technology to a formal standard of 3GPP. The
active promotion of relevant manufacturers and operators and the real needs of the
market are two factors that cannot be ignored.
The 3GPP communication technology standards can be mainly divided into Core Part

3. (subject function), performance standard and RF conformance test standard. Among
them, the main function standard refers to the specific content of the protocol,
including signaling protocol, network access, etc., mainly related to development;
performance standards are mainly the performance of each sub-technical field,
related to test strength; conformance test standard, mainly Includes test criteria for
some processes and functions.
2.SA/CT aspects
In order to meet the massively fragmented, low-cost, low-rate, low-power NB-IoT IoT
applications, the core network mainly considers the following issues:
(1) Efficient support for infrequent packet transmission
Further improving the processing efficiency of infrequent packet transmission for
NB-IoT. Since the number of NB-IoT terminals may increase exponentially, the data
volume and communication cycle of each terminal are relatively low, and the existing
EPS core network is used to process such services, and its efficiency will be very low
and overloaded. Risk, therefore, it is necessary to minimize the signaling overhead of
the entire EPS system, especially the air interface portion.
(2) Using a packet to transmit an efficient support tracking device
3GPP does not specifically define the business model of such a service, and is still in
the research state. Its business model belongs to the variant of the MAR (mobile
terminal periodic reporting) business model, which needs to be further enhanced in
terms of positioning, mobility, transmission efficiency and optimization, etc.
In summary, NB-IoT and LoRa have their own advantages. a network that brings
convenience and convenience to our lives.
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