“Using cellular technology to gather data from sensors is like using a sledgehammer to swat a fly.”
The X-TELIA network is based on LoRa ™ wireless technology and its LoRaWAN ™ communication protocol. This technology is part of the new Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) family of disruptive wireless technologies changing the connected World. LoRaWAN ™ networks are currently being deployed in more than 38 countries including France, England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, India, China and the United States. A dynamic ecosystem of more than 500 companies supports the adoption of the technology worldwide through the LoRa Alliance™ X-TELIA is the only Quebec-based member of the LoRa Alliance.
Characteristics of the technology
Very low power consumption: Some applications can run for more than 10 years on a small battery.
Long range: The technology is designed to allow a bidirectional communication range of at least 1.5km in the city and more than 15km in rural areas. The X-TELIA team recently performed a 75km bi-directional communication between one of its simple battery-operated LoRa ™ sensors (0,1 watt) and the X-TELIA network.
High security: The technology has three levels of encryption to ensure absolute confidentiality of the data transmitted.
- Unique network key (EUI64) that ensures network-level security
- Unique application key (EUI64) that ensures end-to-end confidentiality at the application level
- Unique key at the connected device level (EUI128- 128-bit AES)
Low Cost: The costs for a LoRa™ sensor and network connectivity are a fraction of the cost of a cellular-based solution. This enables the deployement of a new generation of applications never before possible.
Scalability: The LoRa™ network architecture has been designed to support the scalable, carrier-grade networks being deployed around the World. As the number of connected devices increases, so can the capacity of LoRa™ networks.
