LoraWAN - low-power, long-range communication

[Cpt. Stud Beefpile]

A Gentle Introduction to LoRaWAN Gateways & Nodes - Latest Open Tech From Seeed

LoRaWAN Gateways and End Nodes are important components that define the LoRaWAN network architecture. Get started with building LoRa applications today!

www.seeedstudio.com

What is Peer-To-Peer (P2P) LR Communication? - Latest Open Tech From Seeed

P2P LoRa Communication are direct LoRa communications between end node devices, and are distinct from communication with LoRaWAN gateways and networks!

www.seeedstudio.com

When #dropkiwifarms kicked off, I've went on the hunt for troon-resistant ways to communicate, especially ones that had a longer range than WiFi.

After a lot of searching I found a new-ish technology called LoraWAN which fit SOME of the bill:

In simple terms, you can understand LR to be a type of hardware that supports long range wireless communication, whereas LoRaWAN refers to a network protocol based on LR .

Together, LR & LoRaWAN allow long-range, low-power applications to be built for IoT, enabling wireless transmission over distances of up to 15km!

The only problem is it ain't exactly high-speed.

The LoRaWAN data rate ranges from 0.3 kbit/s to 50 kbit/s per channel.

Still, it has some major potential for a way to communicate significant distances without a SIM card or a traditional ISP.

Some similar technologies:

Overview of Low Power Wide Area Networks

Presentation give on the IoT Belgium Community Meeting in Brussels 17/09/2015

www.slideshare.net

 

[Geranium]

You're also reliant on LoRaWAN gateways (map here). Ultimately its main purpose is a way to deploy IOT devices without needing WiFi (short-range, relatively power hungry) or cellular (relatively high ongoing cost) to get you on the Internet. Speed isn't really an issue when you're only sending small amounts of data to a HTTP or MQTT endpoint.

Adafruit make some nice-looking LoRa breakouts and Raspberry Pi add-ons if you want to play around with it.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

For those that would like to start futzing about with LoRaWAN, PINE64 sells some dirt cheap USB adapters, some cheap-but-not-dirt-cheap full kits, and even a PinePhone expansion back cover if you have one.

 

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I bought some LoraWAN enabled microcontrollers to play around with a while back. In terms of things I think it and similar radio technologies might be useful for:
1) Giving remote 'Man down' personal safety devices and security alarms in industrial/forestry environments more range. Simple 433mhz alarm protocols are like, OK, for a small house, and very cheap, but more range is good.
2) Assisting in exploitation of computer systems after physically placing a LoraWAN device , whether in pentests or some other purpose. Yeah, you'll have to wait a long time if you're extracting data over the radio channel, but a few kbps is more than enough for serial terminal access.
3) MAYBE extended range drone operation? Let's suppose you're operating a drone beyond visible range, possibly illegally. You could use LoraWAN or a similar extended-range radio to send waypoints through dynamically, and have the drone automatically return to home base if it loses contact with the extended range base station.

 

[Cpt. Stud Beefpile]

2) Assisting in exploitation of computer systems after physically placing a LoraWAN device , whether in pentests or some other purpose. Yeah, you'll have to wait a long time if you're extracting data over the radio channel, but a few kbps is more than enough for serial terminal access.

Serial terminal access to a connected SBC or IoT device, even the ones the size of a pack of Wrigley's, opens up more possibilities than i can begin to name and many of which I should probably not discuss.

How much weight can the average drone carry, these days?

 

[Car Won't Crank]

Serial terminal access to a connected SBC or IoT device, even the ones the size of a pack of Wrigley's, opens up more possibilities than i can begin to name and many of which I should probably not discuss.

How much weight can the average drone carry, these days?

Quite a lot depending on the size and type. For multirotors there are commericial grade rigs built to carry RED type cinema equipment but those cost as much as a car. Something more reasonable would be an 8in (prop diameter) frame which has a payload of ~2kg. If fixed wing there are many great airframes to choose from. Favorites are ones like the Talon/Mini Talon, Volantex Ranger series, and RMRC Anaconda. These can all carry a decent payload of a couple gopro sized cameras but it can vary depending on the battery capacity you put in.