LoRaWAN is a telecommunications protocol enabling low-speed communication for low-power objects using LoRa technology, connected to the Internet through gateways, participating in the Internet of Things. This protocol finds applications in Smart Cities, industrial monitoring, and agriculture. LoRaWAN employs the LoRa modulation technology, developed by the Grenoble-based startup Cycléo in 2009 and later acquired by Semtech in 2012. Semtech promotes its LoRa platform through the LoRa Alliance, of which it is a member. LoRaWAN, an acronym for Long Range Wide Area Network, facilitates the connection of sensors or objects requiring long battery life (counted in years), reduced volume (matchbox or cigarette box size), and cost-effectiveness.
LoRaWAN - Affordable and Power-Efficient:
The LoRaWAN protocol is an Internet of Things communication protocol utilizing a proprietary chirp spread spectrum modulation technique called LoRa. This protocol is designed to be simple, cost-effective, and energy-efficient, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and power efficiency over high throughput rates. LoRaWAN aims for economical and power-saving long-distance communication instead of high-speed communication, which consumes more CPU and power. The challenges in connecting objects lie in their costs, autonomy, and network scale. These low costs are achieved through the use of a star architecture (simpler than a mesh architecture) and a modulation technique simpler to implement than that of conventional mobile networks. This approach reduces the costs of electronic components and leverages new free frequency bands. The devices used are generally inexpensive, allowing deployment in large numbers.
What is a LoRaWAN Network?
A LoRaWAN network comprises low-power wireless devices communicating with application servers through gateways. LoRa modulation is used between devices and gateways. Communication between gateways and servers occurs via the IP protocol, using an Ethernet or 3G backhaul network. The LoRaWAN network topology is termed "Star-of-Stars" because an application server is connected to numerous gateways, each in turn connected to multiple end devices. From the network perspective, devices are not directly connected to gateways; they only serve as relays to reach the server managing the network, itself connected to one or more application servers. The packages sent by the devices are retransmitted by the gateways, with only information about the quality of the received signal added. If the radio coverage permits, multiple gateways can retransmit the same message from a device. Subsequently, this is duplicated in the backhaul network—the server hosting the application ensures the duplication of the packages. This feature enables the localization of devices by comparing the different arrival times for the same duplicated package. If a response needs to be sent by the server, it uses the information added by the gateways about the signal quality to select the package to which the response package should be sent. The LoRaWAN range does not allow for direct dialogue between two connected objects; if such a dialogue is necessary, it occurs through the application server.
Helium Mining: Simple HNT User Interface:
Helium mining is a new form of cryptocurrency mining that involves installing a simple device on your desktop window. The hotspot provides network coverage for all nearby devices equipped with Helium LongFi, earning you direct HNT rewards. Due to its Proof-of-Work model, known as "Proof of Coverage," your hotspot only consumes 5W of power. Over 20,000 Helium hotspots have been sold in more than 2,000 cities. The HNT miner is the first to offer a beautiful, simple, and intuitive user interface. Helium Hotspot was introduced in 2019, being the first device to mine HNT. The goal of the hotspot is to demonstrate that cryptocurrency mining can be simple and innovative. The Helium Hotspot provides an easy and efficient user interface, controlled through the Helium app for remote income and status monitoring. The Helium hotspot is now available to all European customers as well.
How to Earn HNT Tokens:
Participants earn HNT by cooperating with compatible hotspots. Millions of compatible devices can utilize the People's Network, requiring data credits (DC) to store and send data over the internet. DC is generated by "burning" HNT, reducing the total amount until a balance is reached between burned tokens and created DC. The more devices using DC, the more HNT is burned.
Earning Tokens:
Hotspots receive access points to set up and protect network infrastructure and transfer data from devices. The amount of HNT allocated to access points depends on the "work" they perform relative to their value to the network. This verification of network contributions is done through a new work algorithm called Proof of Coverage (PoC). To participate in PoC, multiple hotspots must be within at least 300 meters of each other, but always within each other's range (up to several kilometers depending on the environment). Unique hotspots earn less income as they cannot participate in the coverage proof activities. After the first year, the payout amount is adjusted.
Hotspot Tasks:
The hotspot is selected by the network to send a challenge (encrypted message) to the hotspot target audience over the internet. The Proof of Coverage algorithm uses challenges to verify wireless coverage. Hotspots earn HNT by participating in coverage certification activities and verifying the wireless coverage of their counterparts. The amount earned by each hotspot depends on how often it directly participates in coverage certification activities. Hotspots that monitor and report coverage-secure activities of other hotspots earn a portion of HNT based on the amount of observed activity. HNT is distributed to hotspots transmitting data from devices on the network. The number of HNTs is distributed proportionally to the amount of data transmitted by the hotspot. Network hotspots are randomly assigned and used for testing the coverage proof.
Hotspots earn HNT by transmitting device data over the network. The more data the hotspot transmits from the device, the more revenue is generated. One of the features of the LoRaWAN network is that it can use TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) or trilateration techniques to geolocate objects. The various gateways receiving the same message from the object accurately timestamp the reception time of the message. As the distance between the object and the antenna is proportional to the time it takes the antenna to receive the message, solving the equation with multiple unknowns can derive the position of the object, provided the message from it is heard by at least three different antennas.
