There can be no doubt that Wi-Fi and LoRaWAN® are very different networking protocols. Wi-Fi’s technology excels at short to medium range, high throughput and low latency communication, while LoRaWAN-based networks serve long range communication with small amounts of data. Despite these differences, these two networking protocols share some very similar characteristics, address largely complementary use cases and are often used in very collaborative ways.

In Paris this November, Semtech will be again exhibiting at European Utility Week, the world’s foremost annual smart utilities and metering conference. Last year in Vienna, the conference drew more than 12,000 visitors and this year’s attendance is expected to increase by half. We will be among the over 800 exhibiting companies at the Paris event, and will be showcasing Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol for innovative utility metering applications. This blog is part one of a three-part series on the benefits of LoRa for utilities leading up to the event.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly gaining momentum. Predictions indicate total spending on IoT technologies will reach $2.5 trillion in 2022, with the total number of devices deployed estimated to be in the billions. In a world with a billion connected devices, the reality is that many will need to be deployed in hard-to-reach places making the ability to service them very challenging and expensive. To accomplish this, developers and system integrators have to take every possible measure to provide technology that will help devices operate as efficiently as possible and prolong device life with future-proof designs.

The LoRaWAN®-based ecosystem was back again at the LoRa Alliance®’s Annual Members Meeting and LoRaWAN Live, which took place in Berlin, Germany, June 11-13. With a record registration of approximately 527 individuals from all over the world, this year’s edition of the event was a three-day whirlwind of new products, important announcements and cutting-edge demonstrations of Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN networking protocol.

It’s back! The LoRa Alliance® will be hosting its Annual Members Meeting and LoRaWAN® Live in Berlin, Germany, June 11-13. The world’s leading telecom companies, system integrators, sensor manufacturers, start-ups, developers, and Internet of Things (IoT) enthusiasts will convene at the event to present their newest products, discuss marketing strategies and discuss the future of Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) and the LoRaWAN networking protocol.

The new buzzword in the wireless industry is 5G and it is often used in relation to the Internet of Things (IoT). This has contributed to some confusion as IoT has been broadly gaining traction in the “things” market leveraging a wide range of connectivity options, including Cellular, LoRaWAN® and Wi-Fi, a pattern that looks sure to continue. With 5G expected to rapidly become a reality through the deployment of initial networks by Cellular operators around the globe, we believe clear positioning is required to allow enterprises and consumers to drive the IoT market to its full potential.

There is little doubt that 5G will play a major role in our society’s future. As a veteran of the telecommunications industry who has developed generations of hardware and software, I have a deep appreciation for what 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is doing with 5G, and am excited to see how it will change lives in the years to come.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a truly massive phenomenon. Revenue numbers from market projections for IoT are staggering - Market Watch predicts that IoT will be worth $2.488 trillion by 2022.

Last week I attended the National Facilities Management & Technology Conference and Exhibition (NFMT) in Baltimore, Maryland. I was quite impressed with the amount of interest generated by the solutions for facilities management being demonstrated at the show based on Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology). The LoRa Alliance® had a strong presence with demonstrations by MachineQ, Microshare, Tektelic, and Semtech. In addition to the LoRa Alliance exhibitors, Haxiot was also on hand in its own booth to demonstrate its solutions. Facilities management is an industry that typically operates on tight margins and is therefore very interested in any solution that can save on supply usage, maintenance or efficient routing of resources.

Mobile World Congress, one of the year’s biggest exhibitions of cutting edge wireless technology, recently took place this last February in Barcelona, drawing hundreds of industry-leading companies from across the globe. With so many events taking place over the conference’s five-day span, it was easy to get lost in the blur of demonstrations and announcements. While the Semtech booth was abuzz with fans of our leading LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) for the Internet of Things (IoT) eager to catch a demo, one conference event stood out to me as one of LoRa Technology’s biggest success stories at MWC, the 10th Innovation World Cup.