Lesson 1: What is the LoRa Network

  1. Can you use the LoRa Network to stream YouTube videos?
    No, LoRa has low bandwidth therefore it is not capable of transmitting large amounts of data.

  2. Is a toaster IoT?
    A toaster is IoT if and only if it is able to connect to the internet and transmit data.

Selected Videos

Definitions

Bandwidth
The capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bandwidth.

Lesson 2: Network

Building a LoRa Gateway and End Node

  1. Recap: What is LoRa? LoRa stands for long-range.
  2. LoRa and LoRaWan
    • Low power communication
    • Affordable communication
    • Future of technology
  3. The Microprocessor
    • No matter what we are building-Gateway or end Noode the device needs to have a microprocessor to control it.
    • Raspberry Pi's and Arduino's are well known microprocessors.
    • Eventually build nodes using a microprocessor.

Assignment 2: Websearch

Answer questions about LoRa using the internet.

Lesson 3: The Things Nework

  • The Things Network is decentralized community that share gateways for use by lower power devices. This network is powered by LoRaWAN, the message protocol that uses LoRa radio technology.
  • Communities: The Things Network can create groups based on cities. Viewing a community lets you see how functional a city is, displaying the number of members, gateways, etc. This is useful to determine if your city is ready or needs additional support.
  • Labs: The Things Network includes a page for creators to post their applications and tutorials for how to build.
  • Console: Console on The Things Network is used for logged in users to edit and add gateways and applications to your account. Today we will walkthrough the website.

Assignment 3

This weeks assignment will take a turn from LoRa, and will guide you in the background of how the internet works. This is something important to know, and will also be helpful when learning how LoRaWAN works. LoRaWAN has to use the internet to transfer data from a gateway to your user application.

  • The assignment will be another web search, this time more challenging. These questions will be on how internet protocols work to send data. Google Forum will be ready to begin Tuesday Morning.