LPWAN, or low-power wide area network, is a wireless network technology that uses very little bandwidth. It’s optimized for low power use, longer distance, and the ability to keep transferring data over long periods of time. In other words, it’s optimized for the Internet of Things.
The use case is the exact opposite of someone watching a TV show on their smartphone, where they want lots of data transferred immediately. Instead, think of a wearable that periodically updates your fridge with a recommended calorie count for dinner because of how many steps you’re taking, or a bus stop that pings 5,000 smart phones a day with a simple text message about the bus’s location. This type of network shares small amounts of data between many low power devices over the course of the day, devices like wearables and embedded sensors; and shares small non-critical updates to and from our cell phones.
LPWAN solves many of the cost and power issues with traditional data sharing, bringing down the cost of ever-more smart objects.
By Sharon Campbell
Small Business Solutions 