This year's CES 2026 tradeshow held at the Las Vegas Convention Center January 6-10, marked a pivotal moment for Semtech. Semtech demonstrated its comprehensive portfolio of cutting-edge technologies across wireless connectivity, smart sensing and circuit protection, reinforcing its position as an ecosystem leader in the Internet of Things (IoT).
Four strategic themes defined Semtech's LoRa® presence at CES 2026:
- Multi-protocol connectivity – LoRa Plus™ enabling single transceiver compatibility with LoRaWAN®, Amazon Sidewalk, wM-Bus, Z-Wave, and Wi-SUN
- Edge AI integration – Intelligent sensors driving demand for extended connectivity
- Network expansion – 125 million LoRaWAN deployments globally, 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
- Extended connectivity envelope – Gen 4 platform: long-range + high-throughput (2.6 Mbps fast long-range communication [FLRC])
Semtech LoRa Technology CES Booth Demonstrations
LR2021 Gen 4 Platform: Expanding the Connectivity Envelope
The LR2021 demonstrations showcased Gen 4 capabilities across high-throughput multimedia, multi-protocol interoperability and precision ranging — extending beyond traditional low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) constraints to address emerging Edge AI and video application requirements.
Video Streaming with Semtech's LR2021
At Semtech's booth, the LR2021 streaming video demo shattered the myth that LoRa is limited to small data packets, demonstrating live security video with FLRC modulation delivering 2.6 Mbps throughput. The battery-powered demo featured webcam video, synchronized audio and cinema mode using Raspberry Pi with LR2021 shield.
Applications: remote security, industrial monitoring, emergency communications, infrastructure inspection.
Wi-SUN and LoRaWAN Stack Integration
The Wi-SUN and LoRaWAN Stack Demo showcased LR2021's seamless operation between LoRaWAN and Wi-SUN networks, creating hybrid architectures where LoRaWAN messages captured by gateways are transported via Wi-SUN to network servers.
Applications: smart city infrastructure, utility metering, industrial IoT, building automation.
Edge AI + LoRaWAN: Intelligence at the Edge
Demonstrations in the LoRa Alliance® pavilion showcased low-power Edge AI with LoRaWAN connectivity, illustrating how intelligent sensors process data locally and transmit actionable insights — creating demand for both traditional LPWAN range and Gen 4's higher throughput for AI-processed images and sensor fusion data.
Asygn Object Detection
The Indoor Photovoltaic energy harvesting Object Detection Demo (LR1121 + Asygn Edge AI neural processing unit [NPU]) featured camera-based finger counting that processes images locally and transmits results via LoRaWAN.
Applications: touchless interfaces, gesture-based controls, healthcare monitoring, accessibility solutions.
EMASS Preventative Maintenance
The EMASS Demo showcased Edge AI monitoring industrial machine health via vibration signatures (ECS-DOT + LR1121 Modem-E), automatically sending LoRaWAN alerts when detecting disturbances for predictive maintenance.
Applications: industrial equipment monitoring, HVAC health tracking, quality control, predictive maintenance.
LoRa Partner Ecosystem Innovations at CES 2026
CES 2026 showcased diverse partners building on Semtech's LoRa platform across consumer electronics, industrial IoT, supply chain, athletics, and recreational applications.
Littlebird showcased their 2.0 kids safety tracker (leveraging LR1110) operating on Amazon Sidewalk.
Littlebird 2.0 tracker - A safety tracker that helps you monitor child safety. It leverages Semtech’s LR1110 and works with Amazon Sidewalk ecosystem.
LILYGO demonstrated development platforms (SX1262, LR1121, LR2021) spanning handheld messengers, smartwatches, displays, and e-ink platforms for educational IoT, mesh networking smart home prototyping. 
From Left: LILYGO T-Deck Pro, T-Watch Ultra, T-Display P4
MOKOSmart introduced two new LoRaWAN trackers - the LW015 LoRaWAN Smart Label and the LW014 LoRaWAN wearable panic button, featuring Semtech’s SX1262.
From Left: LoRaWAN smart label, LoRaWAN wearable panic button
OnAsset introduced Sentinel Flex Tag™, a revolutionary single-use IoT tracker featuring Semtech’s LoRa Edge™ LR1110 LoRaWAN with Wi-Fi sniffing, designed for real-time shipment and asset visibility. At just 1 mm thick, this smart label combines advanced battery technology, pharma-grade sensors, and OnAsset’s Global Intelligence Network to deliver reliable, compliant tracking worldwide.
OnAsset introduced Sentinel Flex Tag™
CubeWorks presented NanoTag (using Semtech's SX1276) disposable trackers for pharmaceutical cold chain, food distribution, and vaccine transportation using public LoRaWAN infrastructure.
CubeWorks NanoTag - Real-Time Temperature and Location Tracker for Supply Chain Visibility
Chileaf showcased their Sports Data Monitor (leveraging SX1268) for professional training with real-time heart rate monitoring of athletes across large venues.
BETAFPV demonstrated Aquila20 HD First-Person View (FPV) Kit that leverages Semtech's SX1281 using ExpressLRS for drone control with 1080p at 60 fps video, supporting racing, aerial photography, and inspection.
BetaFPV Quadcopter, LiteRadio2 SE Transmitter and FPV Goggles
LoRa Alliance Booth Showcase: Scaling LoRaWAN Globally
The LoRa Alliance's "Massive IoT Unfolding: LoRaWAN in Action" track provided compelling evidence of market maturation, demonstrating the technology's transition from proof-of-concept to production-scale deployment.
Market Momentum
The Alliance announced 125 million global LoRaWAN deployments with 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) (up to 50% for large networks). Leading deployments: ZENNER (10M), Actility (4.6M), The Things Industries (3.8M), Birdz (3.6M), Netmore (3.4M). This expansion is primarily fueled by applications in smart metering, intelligent buildings and smart city infrastructure.
"125 million deployed devices is a huge milestone," said LoRa Alliance CEO Alper Yegin. "The LoRaWAN standard is mature, and when technology meets mature implementation, growth exceeds 25% CAGR. LoRaWAN enables Massive IoT and plays a key role in bringing AI into the physical world."
Ecosystem Highlights and Partners Testimonials
The Things Industries presented LoRaWAN as a de facto standard spanning over 70 countries with retail security and cold chain monitoring solutions. Browan showcased AI-enhanced B-SAFE tracking for industrial assets. MultiTech demonstrated industrial infrastructure scaling. ZENNER presented 10M smart metering devices with satellite connectivity. WIKA showed AI-powered predictive maintenance sensors. Beyond the technology showcases, industry leaders shared a unified perspective on what's driving LoRaWAN's momentum — and where opportunities lie ahead.
RAKwireless: "LoRaWAN has clearly reached a point of maturity where success is measured by deployment quality rather than experimentation. In the last year RAKwireless has seen strong momentum across multiple verticals, with customers scaling real networks at pace. As we look toward 2027, the opportunity lies in strengthening the ecosystem around LoRaWAN - delivering stable platforms, complete toolchains and operational confidence that allow solution providers to scale reliably."
Kerlink: "LoRaWAN technology has clearly proven its effectiveness. Across industries such as metering, smart cities, and smart buildings, real-world use cases and large-scale projects continue to accelerate globally. Seamless integration, plug-and-play deployments and robust infrastructure management are part of the key enablers to sustain and expand the ecosystem's growth in the years ahead."
Browan: “It was a great pleasure to meet up with Semtech CEO Dr. Hong Hou and his team during CES and spend quality time to exchange IoT industry trends. The relationship between Semtech and Browan has been more than a decade, and both companies share the same passion and enthusiasm in the development of a new IoT world. We are delighted to be a partner with Semtech in shaping the LoRaWAN IOT world while envisioning the strong wave of growth in IoT for the coming years together.” said Henry Huang, the CEO of Browan.
MultiTech: “CES reinforced the real-world impact of connected technologies when they’re built on secure, scalable foundations,” said Stefan Lindvall, CEO of MultiTech. “MultiTech is proud to be a founding member of the LoRa Alliance ecosystem and to provide solutions that drive interoperability, simplify deployment and enable solutions to scale from sensors to the edge and the cloud. The collaboration is essential to delivering trusted, real-world IoT outcomes”.
Amazon Sidewalk Announcement: Consumer-Scale LoRa Deployment
Amazon Sidewalk represents one of the largest consumer-facing LoRa deployments globally. Amazon Ring's announcement at CES demonstrated LoRa's mass-market readiness with their new line of sensors, delivering always-on protection without Wi-Fi limits across three layers:
- Security (door and window sensors, motion detectors, glass break sensors, panic buttons, car alarms with GPS)
- Safety (smoke & carbon monoxide listeners, flood sensors, air quality monitors, sump pump monitors)
- Control (smart plugs, switches, fan controls) - These battery-operated sensors maintain operation during outages. AI features include Unusual Event Alert (learning routine patterns) and Active Warnings (automated audio deterrents).
Ring announced launches starting with Canada and Mexico in the coming months, followed by Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan later in the year. The company also announced enterprise offerings, including the Mobile Security Trailer and Elite Camera System. Ring Sensors will also be launching in March 2026. Ring's CES announcement marks a pivotal moment for LoRa technology: transitioning from industrial and commercial applications to mass-market consumer adoption backed by Amazon's distribution scale and brand recognition.
2026 IoT Trends and Strategic Market Position
CES 2026 validated four strategic themes while revealing key IoT trends shaping the industry. The multi-protocol trend reflects the market's move away from single-protocol toward flexible, interoperable solutions, addressable with Semtech's LoRa Plus platform. Edge AI integration emerged as a defining 2026 trend, with sensors increasingly processing data locally for privacy, reduced latency, and bandwidth efficiency, creating demand to extend connectivity beyond LPWAN constraints with both long range and higher throughput (2.6 Mbps FLRC) for image/audio and AI inference data.
Network expansion reached an inflection point with 125 million LoRaWAN devices (25% CAGR) spanning over 70 countries, demonstrating the technology's transition from niche industrial deployments to mainstream adoption across utilities, smart buildings, and consumer applications, evidenced by Amazon's Sidewalk global expansion plan. The convergence of industrial and consumer IoT represents a hot 2026 trend, with technologies like LoRa proving capable of serving both mission-critical utility infrastructure, mass-market smart home applications and ultra-low latency FPV drone communication link, breaking down traditional market segmentation.
Additional 2026 trends validated at CES include energy harvesting (Asygn's indoor photovoltaic demo), satellite connectivity integration for ultra-remote deployments (ZENNER), AI-powered predictive maintenance moving from pilot to production (WIKA, EMASS) and mesh networking for community-scale applications (LILYGO platforms, Seeed Studio). The shift from proof-of-concept to production deployment dominated conversations, with organizations moving beyond pilots to implement large-scale IoT solutions with confidence in technology maturity and ecosystem support.
CES 2026 Wrap-Up: Semtech LoRa Ecosystem Growth and Innovation
Semtech's CES presence showcased the expanding LoRa ecosystem, from partner innovations in consumer electronics and industrial IoT to 125 million global LoRaWAN deployments. Demonstrations featuring low-power sensors, video streaming, edge AI, supply chain tracking showcased Semtech's unique ability to provide comprehensive solutions addressing 2026 IoT trends. Sustained engagement and technical discussions underscore strong market momentum, reinforcing Semtech's position as a comprehensive solution provider by enabling the next generation of connected, intelligent electronic systems across industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.
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